Walter and Harry
by Nanettez
Summary: Harry had a twin called Walter who was thought to be the boy who lived but it was Harry. James was a problem but on the whole Harry was well cared for.
1. Early Years

Walter and Harry

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling

1

Early Years

On 31 October 1981 twin fifteen month old boys were playing on the floor in the living room with their parents when a very unwelcome person came to the house. The boys were Harry and Walter Potter.

Their father James told their mother 'Lily, take the boys and go and I will hold him off'. As they knew who the intruder was. He was a very dark wizard and they had been in hiding from him but he must have been told where they were by a person they trusted.

Lily took the children up stairs and put them on the same bed so she could stand in front of them. They could hear fighting down stairs and soon there was a thump and Lily and the boys could hear someone coming up the stairs. An evil looking person with red eyes and a snake like face came in and turned to the boys. He smirked at the boys and said 'Which one will go first' 'Not the boys, take me but please leave the boys' said Lily. 'Stand aside girl' he said.

But she would not so he flicked his wand and she fell. The red head boy started screaming as the intruder turned toward them so he hid behind his black haired brother and held on to him. 'Do you think you are going to get away by hiding behind your smaller brother? Well you are not. You will be next'. He then shouted and there was a green flash that only the black haired boy saw. It went to the forehead of the little boy and knocked him back so he fell and landed behind the bed and rolled under it. In the process he knocked the red head to the side of him. Then the intruder let out a scream and disappeared.

There was an explosion and parts of the ceiling fell down and as little Harry, the black haired child was under the bed nothing fell on him but Walter, the red head had items fall on him and he was bleeding when people came round. James and Lily regained consciousness and picked Walter up and saw that he had been injured. They also heard that he had been injured as Walter did not suffer in silence, he never had. They looked round for Harry and found him under the bed and he seemed to be confused and limp.

Once everyone had recovered Walter had noticeable scars on body, including his face and Harry had a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead but it was covered by his fringe so there was nothing to see. It was then made known that somehow Walter had defeated Voldemort and he became known as _the boy who lived_.

Little changes started to take place in the household after that. Walter had always been a more demanding child than Harry but they used to try to treat them the same. Now Walter was given first preference all the time. To start with they still treated Harry well and he had just as much love and affection, at least from his mother but when it came to choices Walter came first. As Harry was the smaller of the two he often wore clothes that his brother had grown out of. This was just common sense as they were still in reasonable order. Walter liked noisy games and Harry liked to be read to. Before that date Lily read to him a lot even if Walter did not like to listen. How she started to feel as if she was neglecting Walter so she played more with him although James had always spent more time with Walter and still did.

Just to make things more complicated Lily was pregnant and gave birth to another son on 11 April 1982 and they called him Damon. Fortunately he was a good natured baby and did not take up any more attention than a new baby needs to. But Walter was not impressed and was very jealous of the baby. Lily had to lock the door when she put Damon down for his sleep as Walter had been found holding a pillow over his head. Fortunately Harry saw it and yelled and Lily stopped it. She realised then that Walter would have to be watched but James thought it was just a random act and would not happen again.

Damon grew up to be a very outgoing fun child but did not demand attention the way Walter did. Harry played with him and tried to keep him away from Walter and that was easy to do as Damon was aware of what was going on and stayed with Harry or his mother. He also liked stories even though he could not understand them the way Harry could. Harry knew a lot of the stories by heart and could go through them with Damon as if he was reading. Damon was the image of James, with his black hair sticking up everywhere and the same colours in his hazel eyes. He was not big and fat like Walter so he was more like Harry that way.

Harry became very friendly with an old lady next door. The lady appeared to be a muggle but she was really a witch. She missed her grandchildren and almost adopted Harry as an extra one. The lady used to come out onto her back porch on sunny mornings and Harry would be straight over. The lady told him to call her Nana Rose and she always had a pile of books next to her when he came. She read to him every day and he was there for over an hour most days. Lily was so busy with Walter when Damon was having his sleep she did not even miss Harry at first. When Damon was big enough Harry took him next door with him and he played on the floor while Nana Rose read the books to Harry and then they would go through the easier picture books with Damon.

Damon became as close to Nana Rose as Harry and she sometimes took them shopping with her. Lily was happy about this as she needed a break with Walter being so demanding. She had told James how Walter was behaving badly and James said he needed extra attention as he was _the_ _boy who lived_ and the others would have to get used to it. Lily said she missed the others as they were always with the neighbour and she knew it started off because they were getting away from Walter. James said that proved that they were jealous and she should be strict with them or they would be trouble. Lily realised that James only had eyes for Walter and he was getting worse.

When the twins were almost five Lily started to teach them to read and Walter was not interested so Lily spent almost all the time trying to persuade him to learn and he just finished up having a tantrum. Nana Rose told Harry one morning that some of her grandchildren were coming to live across the road and others in a nearby street. She was so pleased because they had been living a long way away. Harry was sad and asked her if she would still love him and Damon. She hugged him and said that she thought of both of them as her grandchildren and thought they would all be going to the local school together.

When Harry got home he asked his mother if he could go to school and as she had gone to school herself she thought it was a good idea. James was surprised and said that magical people usually homeschooled their children. They asked Walter what he wanted and he did not want to go so James said they should stay home and be homeschooled. This time Harry put his foot down and said he did not care what Walter wanted to do but he wanted to go to school. Walter hit him and said that Harry was not going to go to school because he was not _the_ _boy who lived_ so he always had to do what Walter wanted. Harry poked his tongue out and told him he was nasty and he wanted to go to school to make nice friends.

James told Harry off for saying such things to Walter and Harry said Walter had hit him and that was not the only time and he wanted to play with nice people and Walter was not nice. Lily realised they had been spoiling Walter and agreed that Harry could go to school if he liked. Damon was a little nervous about Harry not being there but Harry told him he could still go to see Nana Rose and he was happy then. There was still over two months before he would be starting anyway as his birthday was in the middle of the summer holidays.

Shortly after that, on 28 June 1985 Lily gave birth to a little girl and they called her Myra. Harry and Damon both loved the little girl but Walter was jealous. Harry and Damon were still going in to see Nana Rose and were becoming friends with her 'other' grandchildren. The others accepted them quite happily and they became good friends. They spent most of the summer playing with their friends and when September came Harry started at the local school. He wore clothes that Walter had grown out of but he did not care as none of the other children had seen them. He made lots of friends and learned everything very quickly. When he was making his way to their house after school Walter was regularly having a tantrum and Damon was next door.

By Christmas Lily was fed up with Walter and said he should go to school. Walter lay on the ground and kicked and screamed and said he did not want to go. Harry did not want him to go either as he loved getting away from Walter. They hardly ever spoke to each other and Lily found she was hardly ever seeing Harry or Damon. She realised that Walter was a spoilt little brat and thought it was her own fault. James still did not agree even after Harry had gone back to school and there was trouble at home. Lily got up and gave Harry his breakfast and saw him out to the gate where he met the other children. She was carrying Myra and Damon was with them. Harry gave them all a kiss and went on his way and Damon ran in to Nana Rose. Walter did not realise school was back after the holidays and when he got up he punched Myra and made her cry. Lily told him off and was mad with him all day. That night when she told James Walter said it was Harry and James believed him and smacked Harry and Walter smirked. Harry told James that he hated him and how could he have done it if he was at school. He was smacked again for saying that and sent to his room. Lily was out of the room at the time and when she found out she was furious. James would not say he was sorry to Harry and Harry would not speak to him or Walter. Damon saw the whole thing and was on Harry's side.

Harry started to go to Nana Rose every day after school as her 'other' grandchildren did because their parents were working. Damon was always there and was often playing with little cars. Nana Rose had a large house and she had been on her own since her children had grown and her husband died. She read to all the children and listened to them reading to her. Harry was doing very well. He and Damon did not go home until tea time and after tea they went straight to the room they shared. Walter had his own as he felt he deserved it but no one wanted to share with him anyway. Lily started going in after Harry and Damon and they read together for a while and Harry helped her with the baby as James spent time with Walter. Harry avoided both of them like the plague. Myra loved both Harry and Damon and was scared of Walter.

The end of the school year came and Harry got a very good report. Lily went to see the teacher but James was not interested as he was not used to any school other than Hogwarts. Walter could not read at all yet but James thought he was brilliant and wanted to start teaching him about magic. He did not know that the lady next door was a witch and her grandchildren were magical. He also did not know that someone had gone round to the school and made it an area where magic could not be done. It meant it was safe for the magical children to be there without any chance accidental magic.

Harry and Damon were invited to go away with Nana Rose's family for two weeks in July. The Potters were not going away at all as Lily was going to have another baby in early August. Myra would be less than fourteen months old. Harry and Damon had a good time staying away on the beach. The family had a small holiday house and there were twelve of them so they took turns to sleep in the house and some slept in a tent outside. Harry and Damon had never done that before but Harry made sure that when he went home he only told his mother as Walter would have a tantrum. Damon seemed to understand although he was only four. Neither of them bothered to communicate with James unless they had to. They were never rude to James and Harry knew he would be hit if he was but they both kept out of his way.

At the end of July Harry and Walter turned six. Lily asked Harry what he wanted for his birthday and he wanted books so Lily found him some good books and was pleased that at least one of them was interested in reading. On the day Harry wanted to ask his school friends around but James said he could not. Harry thought about it and decided it was a good idea as Walter would only cause trouble so he said nothing. James bought a toy broomstick for Walter and after they had a birthday tea with their godfathers James went off with Walter and Sirius Black, who was Harry's godfather and Remus Lupin, who was Walter's godfather and found a place close to their house where they could go flying. He did not even consider taking Harry or Damon. Harry did not mind and the next day Nana Rose put on another party for him to invite his friends to at her place. Sirius had married a French woman three years before and they had a baby son but his wife was away showing the baby off to her family over the summer.

On 5 August 1986 Lily gave birth to another baby girl. They called her Adele and Lily was quite tired after the baby was born so James said that Harry and Damon should go and stay with her sister Petunia and Lily said neither of them were any trouble but she wished Walter could go somewhere as he was a spoilt little brat and she felt frightened for the little girls with him around. Walter went to stay with the Weasley's and James said at the table that only he could go as Harry was a squib and would not fit in with a magical family. Lily was not in the room at the time and Harry did not say a word but Walter smirked.

When Walter had been away only two days Mrs Weasley suddenly appeared in the fire place and asked if they usually had behaviour problems with Walter. Only James was there as Lily was nursing the baby and Harry and Damon were helping with Myra. James said that Walter was a good boy but Harry and Damon were jealous of him and were a problem. Mrs Weasley came through and went up the stairs to speak to Lily. When she walked in the door she saw Harry and Damon playing with Myra and realised she had not seen Harry since he was a baby and had never seen Damon. Walter had been to Daigon Alley plenty of times but Harry and Damon did not go. She spoke quietly to Lily about Walter's tantrums and Lily agreed and also said that Harry was a lovely child but ever since this _boy who lived_ business James was not interested in Harry. Molly asked if Harry was a squib and Lily said she did not know as he was still only young. Molly suggested she take them to a healer as she felt when she saw Harry that he was not a squib although James said he was.

Lily had to have baby Adele checked and Harry, Damon and Myra all went with her the next day as Walter was still away. Harry was found to be very powerful and the healer also queried his scar as she said it was a curse scar and it looked as if Harry might be _the_ _boy who lived_ and not Walter. Damon was also checked and found to be magical but it was too soon to see if he would be very powerful. Lily did not tell James straight away as she was so busy with the little girls. Harry was lovely to have around and Lily was dreading Walter coming home but was feeling embarrassed about imposing on Molly. When Walter came home to the Potter's Molly asked Harry and Damon to stay with them for a few days. They had a good time and Molly could not believe that Walter and Harry were twins. They taught Harry how to ride a broom and he was very good at it. When they told James he was furious and he told them that he was not allowed to ride a broom as that was only for Walter. Molly exploded and told him Harry was a lovely little boy and he should be grateful to have him.

2


	2. Professor Dumbledore

Walter and Harry

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling. I know there are many stories about Harry having a twin but they are all different as we all have our own ideas.

2

Professor Dumbledore

Soon after Harry came home from the Weasleys he started back at school and continued to spend a lot of time with Nana Rose. The school had a swimming pool and he started classes after school and was doing very well but it soon got too cold so they had to stop. While he was doing very well at school Walter continued to refuse to do his lessons. His behaviour became so bad that Lily could not cope and asked James to take some time off work. Walter was jealous of the little girls and Lily was frightened for their safety. James went and spoke to the Weasley's as they had seven children. Molly told him that Walter was the most difficult child she had ever met and something needed to be done about it or he would not be able to manage at Hogwarts. She told him he had hit almost every member of the household and always tried to blame someone else. Walter had even bitten her daughter and she was old enough to know who did it.

James was just starting to realise that he had caused the trouble with Walter and that he had been unfair to Harry. He arranged for Remus Lupin to come round and teach Walter and keep him away from the little girls. Remus found Walter to be as bad as Molly Weasley had said and wondered if he would ever be able to read. Remus had been married but his wife had been killed by death eaters, who were the followers of Voldemort. He had a son who was born on 2 February 1981 and his wife died in August that year. Remus lived with his mother most of the time as he was not allowed to be in charge of his son because he was a werewolf. Now his son Geoffrey was going to the same school as Harry and he loved it. He was a bright and happy child and while they lived with the Potters he was sharing the bedroom with Harry and Damon.

Lily and James took Walter to a healer and were told that he was below average in intelligence and also his magic levels were not very high but he should just get in to Hogwarts. James was very upset as it was the same healer who saw Harry and said he was very powerful. The healer also said to James that Walter had no curse scar and she was sure that Harry was _the_ _boy who lived_. James refused to believe this and contacted Professor Dumbledore and he came round in the Christmas Holidays. When Dumbledore came in he just caught Walter hit Myra and she started to cry. She ran straight to Harry as Lily was nursing Adele but James was in the room. This did not go unnoticed to the professor. He sat down and started to talk to the boys and when Harry answered James told him to keep quiet and Walter looked smug.

Harry just got up and left the room taking Myra with him and Damon followed. Professor Dumbledore spoke to Walter and Walter was saying that Harry was not very important and he was not allowed to have new clothes or ride a broom. When the professor asked why he said that as he was _the_ _boy who lived_ he deserved the best and that Harry had always been in the way and Damon was as well. He also said that the girls should go away as they annoyed him. The professor asked to see his scars and he proudly showed them. He then asked Walter to read to him and Walter said that reading was for squibs like Harry.

The professor asked to see Harry and was taken upstairs. Harry was sitting on a soft chair with Myra on his knee and he was reading to her while Damon curled up beside them. They did not even see their father and the professor come in and they sat there for a while. Walter then came storming in and asked what they were doing up there with his useless brother. Harry looked up and saw them for the first time and asked if they were looking for his mother and said she should be finished putting Adele to bed soon. The professor said he wanted to talk to Harry and Walter said he should not need to as he was useless. Harry did not even blink and James started to feel very uncomfortable.

Lily came in to get Myra and put her to bed and Myra turned round and put her arms round Harry's neck and gave him a kiss. She did not even look at her father so he went over and said goodnight and she just waved to him. Harry hugged Myra back and was not the least bit uncomfortable about it even when Walter called him a baby. James took Walter out of the room and the professor started to talk to Harry. Lily went out of the room with Myra and Damon went with them.

He asked Harry if he wanted to go to Hogwarts and Harry said he had never really thought about it as he loved the school he was going to and it would be a long time before he was old enough to go to any secondary school. Harry told him about all his friends and the lady next door who he started to go to because he was trying to get away from Walter but they were now so close he would like to live with her except for Lily, Damon and the little girls who he loved very much. The professor asked who Nana Rose was and Harry did not even know her full name but he just knew that her husband had died a few years before he had met her and one of her grandchildren's family name was Magan and another family was Dalziell. The professor knew that they were a magical family but did not say anything as Harry did not seem to care if people were magical or not.

He also asked if Harry could remember anything about what happened when his brother became the _boy who lived_ and he said yes he did as he often had dreams about it. So he was asked to describe his dreams and Harry said he remembers his mother running up the stairs with them and then that snake man coming up and yelling at her and she fell down. Then Walter hid behind him and the snake man told him that hiding behind his smaller brother was not going to work as he would be next. Then there was a bright green light and it hurt his forehead. He did not remember anything after that. The professor asked to see his scar and Harry showed it to him and the professor asked if it ever hurt and Harry said no. The professor told him he would like to know if it ever did so he should tell his father. Harry said he only spoke to his father if he had to as his father did not like him so he would tell his mother. The professor said that was fine but he looked a bit upset.

They had just finished talking and the professor was on his way to talk to Lily and James when Walter came in and hit Harry. Harry just walked away and went to see Lily, who was with Adele. The baby looked up at him and held out her arms giggling when Walter followed Harry and the baby saw him she started to cry. James and Professor Dumbledore saw all that and James went to pick up the baby but she was holding out her arms to Harry. Harry kissed her goodnight and said goodnight to his mother and the professor and went on his way to bed. Damon was in their room.

The others went down stairs and James gave Walter a game to play with while he, Lily and the professor talked. Dumbledore said he agreed with the healer that Harry was the true boy who lived. He also said that if Walter didn't improve his behaviour he would not be able to go to Hogwarts. He said Harry was amazingly well adjusted considering the way James and Walter treated him. Lily agreed with everything and said she had realised for a long time that Harry and Damon were not getting a fair go and tried to make it up to them. She also said that Harry was a great help with the girls and they loved him. They also loved Damon but he was too young to be much help.

James was wondering what to do about Walter. He thought he would react very badly to not being _the_ _boy who lived_. The professor suggested they talk to Harry first as he was so much more mature. They all quietly went up stairs so Walter would not hear them and Harry was reading in his room and was ready for bed. Damon was asleep and Geoffrey was round at his grandmother's place with his father. The professor asked Harry how he would feel if he turned out to be _the boy who lived_ and Harry said he had often thought he was as he remembered Walter hiding behind him when he got his scar but he did not care and was not very interested. He said if that is what it does to a person he would rather be a muggle and go to a muggle school and then to a university. Walter came in then and had heard the last bit and said he knew he was a squib and punched him in the face. Harry made no attempt to hit him back and the professor asked why, right in front of Walter. Harry's answer was that Walter was slow in his development and was also very spoilt so his behaviour was not his fault. When asked why he thought that he said Nana Rose had told him a long time ago and over time he realised she was right.

Walter did not even know what he was talking about and had just run into Myra's room as she was calling out. There was a sudden scream and Harry and Lily ran out and Walter ran out of Myra's room and they saw her nose was bleeding. The professor said that it would be unlikely that Walter would be able to go to Hogwarts as he would be dangerous if he used magic. Lily stopped Myra's nose from bleeding and cleaned her up and James and the professor took Walter down stairs. Before the professor went Harry whispered to him that if he was the boy who lived he did not want anyone to know. He particularly did not want Walter to know as he wanted to live and he did not feel safe with Walter around anyway. The professor nodded and left.

Professor Dumbledore told Walter that he was too badly behaved to go to Hogwarts and he also would need to learn to read. He should not go round attacking people as if he was older he would be had up for assault. Walter said that he only hit Harry, Damon and Myra as they did not count and he had not hit Adele yet but she would have to start to keep quiet or he would. He said Harry was the worst as he tried to take his mother away from him and always had. The professor asked why he felt in necessary to hit people and he said that he didn't want any brothers or sisters as he wanted his parents to himself. He said his father usually fitted in with that and stopped Harry from being in the way too much and took no notice of Damon or the babies but his mother talked to Harry and Damon far too much and the babies took up too much of her time and it was not fair.

When the professor left James told Walter to go to bed and Walter told him he had to come up with him and play a game with him as he had not played with him tonight. James went up to keep the peace and when he came down he and Lily discussed what they were going to do about him. James admitted that it was his fault and Lily was not to blame for any of it. The professor had told them that Harry did not want to be known as _the_ _boy who lived_ although he definitely was and had known it for a long time. He had also said he feared for his life with Walter around. James was very upset and they decided they needed to get professional help for Walter.


	3. Growing Up

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling. The first few chapters are describing Harry's childhood as the main story will be when he has to defeat Voldemort. His childhood is a bit more interesting than it was in the books. Individual conversations are not important yet and will come later.

**3**

**Growing up**

Lily and James went to St Mungos to get help for Walter and he was taken into residential care for a while and his parents were allowed to visit him once a week. The twins were almost seven and Walter still could not read. Lily and James had been told to find a school for Walter when he came home from care but Harry did not want him at his school as it was one way of getting away from him. Lily and James had found out that the lady next door was a witch and so were the grand children. She also told them a witch had made magic unable to be done at the school and so the young witches and wizards could safely go there and not do any accidental magic.

On 1 July 1987 Lily gave birth to a boy and two girl triplets so they now had four of each. James got two more house elves as part of their house was hidden and they decided that they were going to have to start using it for the family as their numbers had grown more than they expected. Lily said there would have to be no more children as Walter was a full time job and it was not fair on the others. They put the babies in the hidden part to keep them away from Walter. The house elves were told they may let Harry and Damon in but not Walter as he was a danger to the little ones. They were told to take no nonsense from Walter. They understood as they had seen for themselves but they loved all the other children. The new little boy, who was to grow up with all the girls, was called Bruno. He was a feisty little lad and after a time his hair and eyes were brown. The girl's names were Shirley and Ellen and all the babies were about six weeks early and should have been born well after Adel's first birthday. Myra had only turned two a few days before they were born and Adele was almost eleven months old. A retired healer stayed with them for two weeks to help look after them as they were very tiny. They all thrived and put on weight so she was not needed after that time.

Walter spent the summer holidays at home under very strict supervision. Remus looked after him when he was well enough but as he was a werewolf he was not always available. Sirius took some time off work for one full moon and helped. He was actually Harry's godfather but had been guilty of the same thing as James and Harry did not like him very much. He liked Remus better as Remus had taken an interest in him before he knew he was the dreaded _boy who lived_. Sirius still did not know as Harry did not want him to. Harry made it clear he did not want it public but a handful of people knew. On their seventh birthdays Walter and Harry got exactly the same kind of broomstick and were taken flying. Walter did not say very much but that night he asked why Harry was allowed to have one now as he always thought he was not good enough. He was told that all magical children were entitled to have one when they were old enough and Harry wad worked very hard at school during the year and always helped with the younger ones.

Walter went back to care in September and that made life easier for everyone. Remus visited him regularly to keep up the contact as he was starting to make progress with communicating with him although he still could not read. Harry went back to school for his third year and Damon went back also. As his birthday was in April he had already had a term and made friends so he was pleased to be back. As Walter was not there Harry and Damon sometimes had friends round. Most of them were grandchildren to Nana Rose or their cousins so they ran backwards and forwards between the two houses.

Remus and Geoffrey were still living with them most of the time as Geoffrey's grandmother liked it quiet. It worked out well as Geoffrey was doing well at school and had made lots of friends. Harry, Geoffrey and Damon were all going to swimming after school at the start of the school term when it was warm enough. After school they sometimes came home with friends and other times they went to other houses or to Nana Rose.

Walter came home for the Christmas holidays and he was a little better. He still could not read and even Damon was starting to read quite well and he was still five. Harry , Geoffrey and Damon spent a lot of time next door and the little ones were in the safe part of the house with the house elves when it was not possible for Walter to be supervised. He managed to fit in with the family for short periods of time now and was improving but it was a strain having him there. He and Harry were now almost seven and a half and Walter was much bigger and heavier but it showed in their faces that Harry was the intelligent one.

Walter went back to care after the Christmas Holidays and it was pleasant at the Potters again. Damon was due to turn six on 11 April 1988 and they were planning a party but they found it was part of the Easter holidays and Walter would be home so it had to be cancelled. Damon was disappointed and Nana Rose planned to put one on for him so he could invite his friends. Lily was very grateful but felt embarrassed about the situation. When James found out he tried to stop it as he still stuck up for Walter and thought the others should make sacrifices for him. Lily pointed out that she was not having the spoilt little brat ruining everyone in the family's life all the time and he had made their life difficult enough as it was.

Walter came home for Easter and the party was held next door but he was not told about it. Walter was getting better when he was in care but as soon as he came home he thought he deserved special privileges. James was still soft with him and very hard on Harry when Walter was home and took no notice of Harry when Walter was away. Lily pointed out to him that Walter would never be able to behave like a normal person while James still spoilt him. She also pointed out that he cost the family more than all the others put together. The house elves did not like Walter and could not be rude to him but took no notice of him. They were always telling the others how good they were.

Harry, Damon and even the little ones were relieved when Walter went back as there was still a tension in the house all the time he was there. While James was at work they could have friends around and Lily was very happy. Walter still had a very large room to himself and no one was able to use it when he was away. Remus was in a tiny one and Harry, Greoffrey and Damon were crowded into one that was also quite small.

Lily and James had another floor added to the top of the house and a room was put there for the little ones to play. There was also a room for a library of children's' books and storage so better use could be made of the rooms downstairs. They did not want anyone to sleep away up there yet but the boys just slept in their tiny room and did not have any clutter. They wanted room for everyone in the visible part of the house as a lot of muggles came round so it had to seem like a complete home. The boys were to move up there when they were older.

Myra's third birthday was just before the summer holidays and she had a small party the day before Walter came home. Then two days after he was home the triplets turned one. They had a birthday tea and Professor Dumbledore came round as well as Sirius and his family and Remus and Geoffrey were already there. Walter had a tantrum and said the party should be for him and they explained that he would be eight and the end of the month and he and Harry would have one then. There was another tantrum as he said Harry did not need one and it should be for him only. James said they would do that as long as he promised to behave for the triplet's party. Sirius said that was a good idea and Remus had a strange look on his face and so did Dumbledore. Lily was out of the room and when she found out she was not pleased but Harry quietly told her it did not matter as Nana Rose would give him one with his friends. James and Sirius were not told about this but the professor knew and so did Remus. Sirius had still not been told that Harry was _the boy who lived_ as Harry did not want him to know.

Walter was not bad for the party so it was arranged that he would have one to himself at the end of the month. Sirius was going to help run it and they said they would take him flying after the food was finished. So when the day came Remus was away as it was just past full moon and he was not well. Walter had no friends to invite so all the family had to sing him happy birthday and not say anything about it being Harry's birthday. Walter chose all the food and the others ate very little as most of it was cakes and sweets. Sirius came in with a large cake saying: **Happy birthday to Walter – The boy who lived.** The party was held in the morning and after they ate James and Sirius took Walter flying. Walter was given another broom and Harry did not get one, even later. James did not get him anything but Lily got him some new clothes and books. Harry had a good collection of books but did not get very many new clothes so he was pleased. He was also still happy with the broom from last year and did not see the need for another one.

After the three had gone flying the others all ran next door and had a party for Harry. There was more healthy food for Harry and his friends to eat at this one. After eating the little ones went home and Harry, Geoffrey and Damon went with their friends to the beach and stayed for a few nights. When they returned it was Adele's second birthday and they had a party for her. Professor Dumbledore was there and he had not been there for Walter's. No one said why. Adele was a lovely little girl and was pleased to get all of her little presents. She did not need or want anything large and always shared with the others. They had some games for the little ones and Harry, Geoffrey and Damon helped while Walter spent his time with James and Sirius and Professor Dumbledore. Sirius's wife Caroline came outside with her children and they joined in the games. She was getting a little sick of this _boy who lived _business and wondered if any of it was true. The behaviour of Walter was putting her off and she felt that Harry was a much nicer person. She was most impressed with the way Harry treated his younger siblings and would trust him with her children.

While they were outside Professor Dumbledore took the chance to speak to Walter and asked him if he could read. When Walter would not answer the professor put a book in front of him and said he should read it. Walter admitted then that he could not and the professor told him that he was now eight and people had been trying to teach him to read for three years. Walter just shrugged so he was then told that if he could not read by this time the next year there would not be any chance for him to catch up on his education by the time he was eleven so he would not be able to go to Hogwarts. Walter said others could easily read to him so why was it necessary for him to learn. The professor told him he was not a baby and he needed to grow up. Walter looked furious and James and Sirius looked surprised.

Harry, Geoffrey and Damon spent a few days in the middle of August staying with the Weasleys and they went flying every day. Damon had taken Walter's old broom as it was perfectly good and Geoffrey used one of the Weasley's. Ron asked about their school as they were all taught by their mother. They all loved school and told Ron all about it and their father came out and asked if they ever did any accidental magic there. Harry told him that Nana Rose had told him recently that a witch had gone round to the school and done some sort of spell to stop magic from being able to be done there. He thought this was a good idea and Ron said he still was not sure if he would want to go and they assured him that he would if Walter was at home. Ron agreed and so did his brothers as they had all been punched in the face by Walter and knew what he was like.

Walter went back into care in September and the others went back to school. They had started sending owls to the Weasleys and Molly and Lily thought it was a good idea as the letter writing was good for them. They had their usual swimming lessons after school for the first few weeks until it got too cold. The term went well and the Christmas holidays arrived and along with them came Walter. He did seem a little better and managed not to have tantrums although James bowed to his every wish as usual. He was taken to Daigon Alley and chose many expensive games and when he asked for a wand James took him in and the old man in the shop would not sell him one and explained that it was illegal as he was too young. Walter took it better than he would have a few months back so he was definitely improving.

After Christmas they were starting to get Walter used to a normal way of life and he was to spend part his time in care and part at home. It was all worked out that Walter would spend full moons and a few days either side in care and the rest of the month at home. Remus started making progress in teaching him to read and the people he stayed with during full moons concentrated on his behaviour. They decided it was not all James's fault that he had turned out the way he had but it would have helped if he had not been so spoilt. He was at home when Geoffrey had his eighth birthday party on 2 February 1989 and even joined in singing happy birthday. He was also there when Damon had his seventh and saw him get presents even though they were only clothes and books. He did look a bit anxious for the while but there were no tantrums.


	4. A snake of all things!

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

4

A snake of all things!

During full moon in May, when Walter was in care Professor Dumbledore came to see the family one weekend. James was not home and Harry was reading to the little ones when Dumbledore asked to speak to him.

"Have you had any pain from your scar"? Harry said "no".

"Are you interested in going to Hogwarts? You are now almost nine and there are just over two years before you will be old enough to go".

Harry said "I am not sure as I have heard things about the school that I do not like".

The professor asked "what are they"

Harry said "I have heard James and Sirius talking about pranks they used to play on people and I think they were just nasty. If people are so nasty to each other I would rather go to a muggle school and go to university. I do not like bullies and they stop that sort of thing at our school".

Professor Dumbledore said "You are very powerful and should be trained".

Harry said "I do not feel very powerful. I don't like the way people are enemies because they are sorted into a different house".

Professor Dumbledore agreed and said "Two of the Houses are fairly neutral but the other two are hostile to each other".

Harry said "I can guess which ones they are, Griffindor and Slytherin. The professor agreed.

Harry asked "How is everyone sorted in to their houses"? And the professor said "That is a secret but it is quite easy".

Dumbledore then said "Ravenclaw house is for those who are intellectual and is generally neutral and Hufflepuff is for those who were hard working and loyal. The people in those houses are less likely to get involved in the sort of trouble you do not like".

Harry said "I have been top of my year ever since I started school but I do not know about Hogwarts because I have not been taught any magic at all. I am not sure if I am loyal as I do not like my twin, my father or my godfather and do not even pretend to although I would not harm them. That does not make me feel very loyal and who ever sorts me may think I am a bad person because of that. Both my so called father and my brother have assaulted me but my so called godfather just takes no notice of me although he is often round at our place. If I get into Slytherin my father will have another excuse to yell at me and hit me".

The end of term came quickly and Harry was top of his year as usual. His best friend was bright enough but not in the top few. He was a very sensible boy and always fair. His family was all nice as he was one of Nana Rose's grandsons. Potters had the usual birthday parties for Myra and the triplets and then Harry, Geoffrey and Damon spent two weeks on the beach with their friends and neighbours. When they got home there was just a week to the end of the month and the twin's birthday. James took Walter to Daigon Alley and they came home with a pet snake. Harry was a bit puzzled as he thought James hated anything to do with snakes but he did not say anything. After a while he heard the snake complaining about wanting something to eat so he said "The snake is hungry".

"The snake can wait and how do you know it is hungry anyway"?

"It said it was". When James realised Harry could understand the snake he thrashed him and locked him up. This was just two days before his birthday so it was an excuse to make the party for Walter only. Walter was pleased as things were how he wanted them and he thought they were changing.

Lily had been away when this had happened. She had made a quick trip to see her sister and she came back and asked where Harry was and found he had spent the night locked in a small room in the basement. She was furious and said to James "The first time I turn my back this happens. I cannot trust you for a few hours. It is about time you grew up".

She went down to get Harry and found the house elves had taken in some food and let him out to visit the bathroom. But he was still covered in bruises and had two black eyes. Lily refused to cook any food for the party but the house elves were obliged to as James told them to. Professor Dumbledore came to the party thinking it was for both of them and found Harry was not there. When Lily told him what had happened he sent for a lady to look at Harry although Lily had healed him. The professor did not go to the table but left a book for Walter as a gift. It was a wizard story book generally read by younger readers but well written. He gave Harry 'Hogwarts, a history' and he was thrilled.

After the people had gone home the professor asked James "How did the snake get into the house in the first place"?

He said "Walter saw it and wanted it so we bought it".

Dumbledore said "I find it strange that a person can chose to buy a pet snake and that was no problem but it was a problem if one can understand one". James said "People can easily want to learn about snakes but being able to understand one means the person is a dark wizard".

Dumbledore said "Harry can understand and probably speak to snakes because the ability was transferred to him on the night he survived the killing curse. He may need that ability to defeat Voldemort and he is not a dark wizard at all. I would be more concerned about Walter wanting to have a pet one as he is not one who is interested in learning anything".

James said "That is why I was encouraging him to learn as much as possible".

Harry had nothing to do with the snake and he found he did not like it in the house. He found it creepy when it spoke and he could understand. James was saying that he was going to be in Slytherin but Walter would be in Griffindor. Harry said he would rather go to a muggle school anyway and did not want to be in any house at Hogwarts.

Harry, Geoffrey and Damon spent a few days staying with a family related to Nana Rose and then went to the Weasley's for a few days. At the end of the holidays Harry started reading the book the professor had given him and he found it very interesting. He sent an owl to the professor and got a reply back almost straight away. The professor said he was almost sure Harry would be in Ravenclaw as the people in that house liked books the way he did. Harry was still not sure he wanted to go except to get away from his father but his brother would be there and he was worse. He had discussed this at the Weasley's and they were horrified that his father had assaulted him several times and thought it was terrible to want to get away from him. Harry said that they were lucky having such a nice father. Harry also heard Mrs Weasley say to Mr Weasley that Professor Dumbledore was concerned about the way Harry was treated by his father and that is why he called in to see them.

School started again and the boys had the usual swimming for the first few weeks. They realised how helpful the lessons had been when they went to the beach in the holidays and could all swim well. Walter continued to stay home with Remus as a tutor except at full moon when he went into care. He was now making slow but steady progress in his reading but was still very cunning and managed to manipulate James and make things generally unpleasant for Harry. Christmas came and went very quickly and soon it was Geoffrey's ninth birthday on 2 February 1990. It was during full moon so his father could not be there but the good part about it was that Walter was not there either. The three boys went to a heated pool with Nana Rose's daughter and their family and had a good time. They had never been swimming in the winter before. When Remus was well enough he took Geoffrey to Daigon Alley and purchased a second hand broom the same as the ones Harry and Damon used. Geoffrey was thrilled as he knew his father had trouble gaining employment due to his illness and money was not easy to come by.

Easter came and about the same time was Damon's eighth birthday. The same group went to the pool without letting Walter know. Harry had finished the book Dumbledore had given him and found it very interesting. Walter's snake had died as he did not feed it enough so his father bought him a rabbit but he lost interest in it after a while and did not feed it so the house elves did as they felt sorry for it. Then he came home with another snake as he liked something about them. James thought he should get it out of his system before he went to Hogwarts and let him have it. About two weeks later he got that he wanted a puppy so he got one and it was very tiny. He got sick of that after about two weeks so Lily looked after it and it became a very good pet for the little ones. They also liked the rabbit and used to cuddle it. The snake was still around and Harry could hear what it was saying but did not say anything.

Harry was sending letters to lots of people as he had lots of friends. He decided he wanted an owl and asked his mother. She said he could have one for his birthday and mentioned it to James and he said "Harry cannot have an owl unless he goes to Hogwarts and is in Griffindor house.

Lily said "That is ridiculous, I will take him in to Daigon Alley and he can choose one for his birthday".

James told Walter and they went into Daigon Alley and came home with a black owl for Walter. The fact that Walter still had poor writing skills and had no friends and the owl would have no work was not an issue. He just had to have one first. He called the owl Soot, which was not very original.

On the 28 June 1990 Myra was five and was excited about going to school but would have to wait until after the holidays. She had a little party and the older boys, other than Walter, helped with the children's games and read to them when they were tired. It was a fine day so they mainly played outside. Walter sulked and said they should not be allowed a party as they made too much noise. But he knew better than to cause a problem as his progress was being monitored and he had decided he wanted to go to Hogwarts. A few days later when the triplets were three they had a party as well so there were more games for the older boys to help with.

Harry came top of his year at school again and the teachers told Lily he was a delightful student and was always nice to the younger children. The usual three went to the beach house with their friends and had a good time. They got home about a week before the twin's tenth birthday and Walter had killed his owl and no one knew how he had done it. He did not seem very worried about it as he had never sent a letter and his snake was the only pet he had been interested in. Harry and Lily went to Daigon Alley and purchased a beautiful female snowy owl and he called her Astra. It was the first time Harry had been there and they had ice cream as well and Lily got some potions ingredients. Fortunately Walter was not jealous as he was not interested in owls and said they were useless and he had been to Daigon Alley dozens of times. James got Walter some very fancy dress robes that Walter chose and Harry thought looked ridiculous.

They had separate parties as Walter wanted everyone to sing him happy birthday and to choose all the food like last year. Then he wanted James and Sirius to take him flying for a few days. Sirius's wife was at the Potters for the party but had no time for Walter and spent more time with the younger children. Their two children also did not like Walter and the boy was the same age as Myra and their girl was the same age as the triplets.

Harry did not care about not being included in the party as he had his own when they went away and all his friends could come. Sirius's wife came and helped Lily and she loved Harry's owl. He could not show it to all his guests as they were not all magical but they kept things well hidden and no one would have guessed. They had Adele's party before Walter, James and Sirius came back and she did not care. She may not have even noticed. Sirius's wife helped with that as well and Harry wondered why she had married Sirius but after all Lily had married James and he had never grown up either. Professor Dumbledore came to see him again while James was away and brought him another book. He also gave story books to all the younger children and Geoffrey and Damon as well. There was nothing for Walter and they knew no one would say anything to him about the visit. He did enquire if Walter could now read and was told he could but did not bother very much.

Astra was getting plenty of work and seemed to be enjoying it. She was a very young owl and the trips were all quite short so it was good to get her started. If Harry went to Hogwarts the trips would be longer but she would be older then. Walter had taken his snake with him and James and Sirius tolerated it. The others had a good time with Walter and James away and Sirius's wife was with them a lot and was teaching Harry some French. She said she would like to continue with it as he was picking it up very quickly.

Harry Geoffrey and Damon had a quick trip with Remus after James and Walter had come back. They camped in some woods near where Remus mother lived then they stayed in the same tent at the Weasley's. They all had their identical broomsticks and had a good time before they had to go home and get ready for starting school. It was going to be exciting as Myra was starting and it was going to be Harry's last year. Sirius's wife was to start giving harry regular French lessons and Lily was going to start to teach him about potions. He was looking forward to the new lessons as well as going back to school and swimming for a few weeks.


	5. Bentley Dursley

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

**5**

**Bentley Dursley**

When Harry and the others returned from camping Lily gave them all a hug and then introduced them to a little boy about the same size as Damon.

"This is your cousin, Bentley Dursley. We have just come back from Surrey where he used to live. He is magical and will be living with us from now on". Then she said "You will all be sleeping on the top floor now as the room you have been in is too small. Remus will be up there as well and he shifted all his things before you went away. You can go up now and decide between yourselves which bed you want to sleep in. The beds are all the same".

Harry and the others moved up to the top floor and found it was set out rather nicely. There was a small room for Remus and another large room with five beds. It was arranged so they could all have some privacy but there was an area where they could socialise. Little Bruno was going to be with them as well because he was three years old and getting too big to sleep in the same room as the girls. So the only missing boy was Walter, who still had a large room to himself.

Harry said "The beds are all the same so does anyone care what bed they are going to have"?

Little Bruno said "I want to be by you". He was holding on to Harry. So they gave him the bed on one of the ends as he would be going to bed earlier than the others. Harry took the bed next to him.

Bentley said "I do not care as I am a heavy sleeper and I can sleep anywhere. Could you please call me Ben because I don't like Bentley"?

So Geoffrey said "Is it OK if you take the one at the other end by the bathroom as it may be noisier? I am a fairly light sleeper and I don't want to go there. I will call you Ben if you call me Geoff".

"OK Geoff" said Ben and he took his few belongings to the bed nearest the bathroom. Damon took the next bed as he was closer in age to Ben so Geoff took the middle bed. The beds were all new and the area around each bed was the same. It was set out so they could have a light on and not disturb the others as shelves were arranged to give them a place to put their belongings and some privacy. There was also a small window by each bed. Harry, Geoff and Damon all found boxes with their names on and their belongings were in them so they ones started putting things away in their area.

Lily came in after they had decided where they were sleeping and said "You should be down in a few minutes to eat. Do you all like the room"? They all said "Yes" together. Lily then said "Bruno I will come up after we have eaten and put your things away". Bruno nodded as he was bouncing on his new bed looking very happy.

It was a nice surprise and they were amused that Remus must have known all about it and not said a word as he had taken his things up before they went away.

Damon said "Hi Ben my name is Damon and we must be about the same age".

Ben answered "I am seven and I will be eight in January". Ben said "I am eight and will be nine in April. So you are nine months younger than me and I thought we would be the same age".

Ben answered "I am big and everyone thinks I am older than I am". He was similar colouring to Bruno, with his brown hair and brown eyes. "I did some strange things at home and dad said I had to go away because I am a freak".

Harry told him "You do not look like a freak to me but my father is not very nice to me either. Geoff is not related to us but he and his father have lived with us for a long time and his mother died when he was a baby".

Then they went downstairs and Ben was quite happy although he had looked as if he had been crying when they came home.

They had a lovely meal and Ben quietly whispered to Geoff "the big red head boy is like my older brother as he is fat and spoilt".

Harry and Damon heard and they had a laugh about it. Walter was making so much noise that only Lily and Remus noticed and they just smiled. They were happy that Ben was fitting in with the others so quickly.

After they had finished eating they were shown the other alterations. There was a new sunroom on to the top floor near the boys' room and the floor below, near where they used to be and the girls were still. The room Remus used to occupy was now storage and his room upstairs was not quite so small and was much nicer. The girls were where they used to be but Bruno was not with them now so they had more room.

Lily said "Boys you can go upstairs and look around and then get ready for bed". Lily came up and got Bruno bathed and settled while some of the others were in the sun room and some in the library. The Potters had the help of a young muggle born witch and she had been there since the triplets were born. So she supervised the girls' baths tonight so Lily could help Bruno get used to the new arrangement.

When Lily had finished looking after Bruno she said "Harry can you come down stairs with me please". When they were down stairs she told him "Bentley has recently done some accidental magic. We had arranged years ago that if any of my sister Petunia's children were magical they were to live with us".

Harry asked "why is that? He asked us to call him Ben"

Lily said "It had always been thought that I was a muggle born witch but it turned out that I was not. My mother was a pure blood and when she was a little girl of about two she was bitten by a dog and a relative thought it was a werewolf. The relative removed her memories and took her magic away and abandoned her at a muggle hospital. This was just found out shortly before my mother died. The person who did it left a note to be opened after he died and my mother was located. My original grandfather was still alive then and had a chance to meet his daughter (my mother) and was very pleased that one of her daughters was a witch. His name was Timon Wintringham and my mother had been Mildred Wintringham but after she was adopted she grew up as Iris Reid. When she married she became Iris Evans and called both of us flower names. Timon was still alive when you were a baby and your second name is Timon as you are named after your great grandfather. Walter's second name is James after your father and Walter is after his great great grandfather on James side".

Harry was surprised at all this but there was more.

Lily continued "My mother was the last of the Wintringham family and had inherited a home and that is the one we are now living in. I got the Wintringham home and Petunia was left most of the items from our (Evans) parents. That gave them some money to put towards their own house. The house the Evans parents owned is used as a rental property and brings in some money for the Dursleys. The house I own is more valuable than the one my sister got so James and I said we would look after any magical children as it was quite likely that the magic would come back even though Aunt Petunia turned out to be a squib".

Lily also owned some other properties that belonged to the family but it was not necessary to tell Harry that now and Petunia did not know. They also owned the Potter home but other people were living in it at the moment and that was bringing in some money. They had been there since James parents had died and were reliable.

Lily told Harry "Your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon have a son the same age as you and Walter. Vernon did not want any more children but Petunia wanted a girl. The girl, who is not magical, has a twin brother and that is Bentley. He also has a little sister and I did a quick spell behind her back when I went round to get Bentley and found she is magical as well. She is too young for it to be a problem yet so I did not say anything. I do not even know the names of either of the girls. The little magical one would be a little older than Adele but she is bigger. Please do not say anything about this to anyone as it was nothing to do with others".

'I won't" said Harry and they left Lily's room where they had been talking.

Harry saw a strange snake in the house just as he was going to go upstairs and asked Lily "What is that strange snake doing there".

She said "Walter lost his last one when he was away and has got a new one".

Harry told Lily "This one is saying that it is going to get out of this place".

Just then Walter came out of his room and Harry noticed another door close to it and asked "What is that door".

"Walter's room has been made smaller as he is not willing to share it with anyone. A large cupboard is taking up some of the space and contains some items that were on the top floor before you six people went to sleep up there. He took it much better than he would have a few months back so he is improving. He still has a large room to himself".

It was soon time to go back to school and it was exciting as Ben was starting a new school and Myra was going for the first time. Lily came with them to get the new ones enrolled and stayed with Myra for a while. She also collected Myra after school as she finished earlier and the boys were going to their swimming for the first few weeks. Ben had not ever learned to swim so he was put with the beginners and he did very well. He settled into his new school well and was making friends. Myra loved school but was tired at the end of the day for a few weeks until she got used to it. After a few weeks swimming finished so they all went straight home.

Walter was improving and was starting to want to talk to the others. He was starting to see how well the others all got on and may have been feeling quite left out. Bruno was sleeping in the top room with the older boys but during the day he was with the girls as the boys and Myra were at school. The young lady who lived with them was giving them activities during the day and Lily was doing some potion brewing. On Saturdays Lily taught Harry the basics of Potions and later in the afternoon the Blacks came round and stayed for tea. While they were there Sirius spent time with James and Walter and sometimes they went out. Their children played with the Potter children and Mrs Black taught Harry French. He was doing so well she started to give him the basics of Latin as well.

Walter's third snake disappeared a week after he got it and one Saturday he decided that he wanted another pet but he did not want a snake anymore. James and Sirius took him to Diagon Alley and they came home just before tea, when Harry had just finished his language lessons. Walter had purchased a stocky grey adult male cat with yellow eyes that was not the least bit attractive. Harry normally thought cats were attractive elegant creatures but this one was not.

He took one look at the cat and felt there was something odd about it so he beckoned to Remus to come out of the room and said to him "I don't think the cat is really a cat".

Remus had not seen it as he had been reading when the others had returned home. He asked "Where is the cat"?

Harry said "Walter has it with him".

Remus went in and walked up close to it and came out and said "Harry I think you are right". He went in to get James and Sirius and told them that the cat was an animagus.

After the others were told James said that the cat had followed Walter and would not go away so Walter decided to buy it. It had been unusual as he had not usually been interested in cats and this one was not appealing to the eye at all. James went in and put the cat in its cage and enlarged and strengthened it. By this time the cat realised they had guessed and started going crazy. Remus and Sirius held out their wands and did a spell and the cat turned into a stocky square faced, grey haired man. They contacted the ministry and some men came round and took him away as he was an ex death eater who everyone had thought was dead. After all that excitement everyone ate their meal.

Walter complained "every time I get a pet there is something wrong and I don't know why".

Harry said "You should go and pick out a more attractive cat. The shop owes you one anyway as you paid for this one".

A few days later Walter got a replacement cat. This one had been tested and was definitely a cat.

James asked "Harry how did you know there was something about the other one".

Harry said "I do not know exactly but there was something odd about the way it looked at me when I came in".

The new cat was a tabby with a lot of black in it. He was about six months old and still playful but strong and sturdy. He was quite a normal cat and settled in nicely. Walter seemed pleased that everyone in the family appeared to like it so that showed that he was at last trying to fit in. Walter called his cat Trumble and it suited him.

There was a lot in the paper about the 'long dead' death eater being caught but they did not say who found it and how as he may not have been the only one. All the animals sold in the shop in Diagon Alley were going to be tested now but the public were not told about it. James was showing a little more interest in Harry now and so was Sirius. Harry was polite to them but would never be close due to their history.


	6. School Competitions

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

This is a quiet chapter and just gives a little background about the sort of children that all the school age ones are.

**6**

**School Competitions**

In November 1990 the students at the primary school the children attended were told they were joining five other primary schools in the area to have competitions in various subjects. The tests would take place in December so they were encouraged to practice at home.

Music was one of the subjects but none of the children in the Potter household were good enough to enter.

Some of the other subjects were more suitable for them.

The younger ones would be tested on their writing to see how tidy it is. Myra was in this group and was too young for most of the others.

Art was a subject for all ages and Geoff was not bad at art.

Everyone seven and over would be tested on their creative writing, spelling and maths. So Harry, Geoff, Damon and Ben were all encouraged to do some work on these subjects at home as it would be useful even if they did not get any prises.

Running races were held for those seven and over as well.

Essay writing was only for the older ones who would be moving on to secondary school the next year. So Harry was in that group.

The competitions were divided up into ages and children were invited to enter whatever they were interested in. It was just within the school at first and the top ones would be chosen to go forward to enter against the other schools.

The five year olds just had drawing and writing so they were all practising their neatest writing. Myra came home with a note to say that she should practice writing out words and drawing. This was only her third month at school and she was not artistic but Lily went over her writing with her and Remus had a look at her drawing. In the tests Myra was in the top five at her school for writing but not for drawing. So she was then tested against the top five from the other schools. She was not in the top three but got a commended and she was the youngest who did and her name was in the local paper. She was pleased and Lily was absolutely thrilled.

There were no six year old children in the household but they did much the same as the five year olds.

The seven year olds had spelling and maths tests as well as drawing so Ben was helped with his work at home. He was mainly interested in the running and so the others went out training with him as their age groups had running as well. Ben was taking it all very seriously and the practising kept the older ones fit as well. Even Walter wanted to know what was going on and when he found out he went running with Ben and it started to make a difference. He became fitter and was generally in a better mood. Ben was quite a tall boy and very strong and fit. He came first in the school group so he and the others who were fast enough were to be taken by bus to another school where they would compete against the top runners from all schools.

Ben came home shouting "I came first and the top group are going to go on a bus to another school. People are allowed to come and watch".

Lily said "Where is it" and Ben handed her a note.

The girls and boys were taken separately. Ben was only just in this group as it was December by this time and he was going to be eight in January. The boys' race started and they had many supporters. Lily went to watch and Bruno came with her.

Bruno was yelling "Go Ben go Ben" all through the race.

Ben had shot up and was now taller than Damon but some of the boys were much bigger. He had worked very hard and it paid off as he came second. The one who came first was a large dark boy and he was almost a head taller than Ben. Ben was pleased and he even had a picture of himself in the local paper. Bruno was very excited and Lily was thrilled. Lily sent a copy of the paper to Petunia as they did not get that one in their area.

The eight year olds were next. Damon did the spelling and maths tests at his own school then they had to write a story in the hall and there was a choice of three subjects. When the results came back from the tests he had come third in the spelling and the top four were to compete with the other schools. He was the only boy from their school. He was not quite good enough to compete with the other schools in the maths or his story but had improved as he had been practicing. So he went home and spent the next week learning how to spell all sorts of words and Remus tested him on ones he thought would be useful. On the day there were twenty four students, four each from six schools. Damon was placed fifth overall and was the top out of the boys. He was pleased and had learnt a lot.

Geoff was nine and was quite artistic and also quite creative in his writing. He practiced at home and his father gave him some ideas. He was also good at spelling and wanted to enter that competition against the other schools. He practiced his maths as well but that was not his best subject so he did not get in the top group. He came top of his school in the spelling test and also in the creative writing. On the day of the spelling test there were twenty four students and Geoff came third and was the top boy. He had his name in the paper. He finished up in fourth place in the creative whiting so he was quite pleased as that was also out of twenty four and he saw some of the other student's work and thought it was very good.

Harry was ten and a very good speller and quite good at maths. His writing was good but not creative and he was not artistic. He was quite a good runner but had always been small for his age and the taller boys had an advantage. His age group had essays on a choice of topics and he thought he would try that. It would be good practice for secondary school no matter what one he went to. Remus suggested topics that had to be non magical and he checked Harry's efforts. He worked very hard and Remus said he had made a lot of progress. When the time came he was persuaded to try for the creative writing. He came fifth out of twenty so could not take that any further. He came third in the maths and he was first in the spelling so would compete with the other schools in both. Then he came top in his essay and was very surprised. When he competed with the other schools he came third in the spelling and fifth in the maths and top in the essay. He could not believe it as he had not done much in the way of essay writing before the last few weeks.

They had all worked hard and taken all this seriously and Lily was very pleased at their motivation at such a young age. James was not very interested in any of the proceedings. He was very busy at work but he still had time to spend with Walter and Sirius. He was just not used to having anything to do with schools except Hogwarts and did not take them seriously.

The school was pleased as everyone who had represented it had held on to a good standard even if they did not win. The family had all done very well and Lily was pleased with them and so was Remus as he had coached them and liked to see results as it had been a frustrating few years teaching a slow difficult student and at last he had a chance with brighter ones.

It was now the Christmas holidays and the children had worked very hard and were all pleased to have a break. Harry was looking longingly at curriculums from secondary schools as he was very keen to go to a 'normal' school and go to university. He spoke to Lily about it and she said that she had loved Hogwarts and she was sure he would. Harry just did not want to go. Professor Dumbledore came to see them at Christmas and talked to Harry about the school and asked why he did not want to go and got the same answer. Dumbledore said that they had thought about teaching languages as an option as they learnt English in the schools in Europe but they had not done it yet.

Harry sent his owl to the Weasley's quite often and they could not make out why he did not want to go to Hogwarts. There was just one advantage of going there and that was Nana Rose's grandchildren were going and the families still spent a lot of time together. All the competitions lately had made that time shorter but they were making up for it in the holidays. None of them were going away for any length of time so they enjoyed each other's company. Robert and Gillian Magan were already at Hogwarts and Harry liked them and although Robert was a year older they had always got on well. He and his older sister were in Ravenclaw and they both said that house was the right place for Harry. Their cousin Emery Dalzeill was Harry's best friend and they were the same age and in the same class at school. Emery was a very nice kind person but not as intellectual as his cousin. Harry liked the way he had a lot of common sense and was practical.

Walter could not wait to go to Hogwarts. He had never been interested in going to primary school and was still not interested in academic study but he was not as immature as he used to be and after years of help was ready to move on. He could not make out why Harry did not want to go and James just took no notice and said he was going and that was that. Professor Dumbledore could understand how Harry felt as he would also have loved to go to university. When he was young nowhere near as many people went but now it was different. He wanted to do something about it as they could easily lose their brightest students if they did not. The professor also realised that many of the students who had gone bad were actually very clever in their own way. It would be hard to call them intelligent because that would require them to think more about the consequences of their actions. Possibly if there had been more to challenge them at school they may have turned out better people.

Harry also said "I think some of the prefects duties are exploitation as the students pay to go to the school and are expected to monitor and corridors in the middle of the night. I would refuse to be one as I think adults should be doing that as they are being paid. Also if people are stupid enough to wander round at night they deserve low marks". James would never understand that.

The Christmas holidays finished and they all went back to school and after a short time Ben turned eight. His parents sent him some money as they had for Christmas and he was interested in buying a broom. The Potters were paid a little for his food and clothing but not for a roof over his head as that was part of the arrangement. Lily wished they took a little more interest in him but he seemed to be getting happier as the time went on and did not seem to miss them at all.

They had a party for Ben after school on his birthday and his friends came round and stayed for tea. One of the boys asked him "Do you miss your own family"

He said "I sometimes miss my little sister but not my twin. I do not like my older brother as he is worse than Walter but at least he can go to school".

James was not at the party as he had taken Walter round to the Blacks place.

Lily asked Ben "What do you want to get with the money from your parents"?

Ben said "I would like a broom". Lily then found him a second hand broom the same as the others had and he was thrilled.

Geoff's tenth birthday was next and there was a similar party for him. Walter and James were also absent for that one and Remus was disappointed. He realised that he was being paid for all the time he spent with the Potter children but he felt that as a friend James could take some interest in Geoff as he had no mother. But then again he was still the same with most of his own children and was not even interested in how they did in the competitions.

Damon's ninth birthday came during the Easter holidays. He had a similar party during the week and Walter was not there as James had taken him away flying. James did not seem to want to meet anyone who went to the primary school as he had felt that the children should all be home schooled. Remus did not agree and felt that because there was no risk of accidental magic it was the best place for them. As the teachers had all been trained to teach children of that age group the children were in good hands.


	7. More Babies

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

**7**

**More Babies**

After Easter there were a few changes at the Potters. The woman who came to work there when the triplets were born was taking a break for a while as she was going to have a baby. She had married two years ago and she and her husband were living in the hidden part of the house. As well as helping with the children Vivian had a garden that the family could use and it had many useful and rare plants. She and her husband were going to stay where they were for a while as there was plenty of room in that part of the house. She would be concentrating on her own family for a while. Lily had purchased the house next door. Not the one Nana Rose was in but the one on the other side. The part that could be seen was very small and in disrepair but she knew that there was a hidden part that could only be accessed through the visible part. Lily paid a very low price for it as the muggles who were in it did not know about the hidden part and they had not paid for it. They were old and going to live with relatives. Now that it was summer the Potters were having the visible part mainly pulled down and replaced. When it was done Vivian and her husband would live on the top floor and that would give them some privacy.

With all the planning Lily had done in the last few months there was something unplanned. She and James had been a little careless with contraception around 20 November 1990 and she was now pregnant again. She had thought that was all in the past but she was now used to the idea. Surprisingly enough James was pleased and Lily thought it was strange as he took no notice of most of his children. He explained that this time he was going to try to be different so the child would actually like him or even love him. He realised that with all the attention he had given Walter over the years, the child did not love him; he did not love anyone but himself. James thought it was too late to repair the damage and have the others love him. Lily did not agree and said that except for Harry and maybe Damon, the others were still young enough to accept him if he changed. James had not actually hit Harry since the snake incident as Lily had warned him that it had to stop.

Lily had been disappointed in the way James took no interest in any of the children other than Walter for a while. When she thought about it he had been like that since the twins were first born. James had changed his mind about giving the oldest child (who was Harry) James as a second name and decided Walter should have it. Lily then gave Harry her grandfather's name as a second name and she was pleased about it as she thought it was part of her heritage. All the photos of them when they were babies had Lily holding Harry and James holding Walter. At the time Lily had thought it was because Walter was a much bigger baby but it may not have been that at all. After this _boy who lived_ business James went overboard. Remus had almost become the father figure for the rest of the family. They all loved Remus and none of them loved James although only Harry actually disliked him as it was only Harry he had been violent towards. It almost looked as if James was trying to chase Harry into Slytherin so he could justify his behaviour.

Lily was getting quite large quickly and knew there was more than one baby in there. She thought she would probably have another set of triplets and soon found out she was right. She loved babies and loved being pregnant but when it was more than one she found it very hard. She was now over seven months and she was enormous. As the bump grew the more excited she was and she started thinking of names. Lily had more than names to think about while the bump was merrily growing inside her. She had to find more people to work for her as Vivian needed the break to start her own family.

Lily was doing quite a lot of potion brewing now and the plants Vivian had been growing were useful. Lily could not do the garden and had now found another young woman to help. She started just after Easter. Her name was Judith and she had been working in a muggle garden centre. Her mother had been a witch and her father a muggle. Her mother was killed by a death eater in 1980 so from then on she was raised as a muggle but continued at Hogwarts and did very well in Herbology.

When she left school she had quite good passes in her Hogwarts exams but did not know anyone who could offer her a position and she had to work in the muggle world. She looked after her half siblings while her stepmother worked for about a year and built up a very good garden at their home. She then wanted something more and many people saw her garden and were most impressed with what she had done in such a small area. She had no formal qualifications in the muggle world and her step mother's relatives gave her a position at the garden centre they owned. She was very good at her work and had experience with many different kinds of plants from all round the world. Now the owners were selling the centre as they were getting too old and had accepted an offer they could not refuse. Her lack of formal muggle qualifications would be hard to explain to the new owners and she could easily lose her job so she decided to move on.

Lily wanted to extend the garden and grow as many of her ingredients as possible as she had planned for a while to make this more of a business now the children were getting older. This was the sort of thing Judith was looking for. She would be a very useful person to have around as she had experience with children so she could help with them as well as her main job, which was looking after the plants.

"Would you like to teach Harry and Geoff about the plants as they will be going to Hogwarts and it would be useful to have some experience first"? Lily asked Judith.

Judith answered "Yes that would be fun, I like those two boys". So she did and they found they enjoyed working with her.

Harry was already doing Potions with lily, French and Latin with Caroline Black as well as his school work.

"Could you please try to teach Walter as well? I warn you that he is not that bright and is quite difficult". Lily asked her one day.

Judith tried to teach Walter about the plants during the day but it did not work out.

Remus said to her "Lily and I thought it would be useful but we know what he is like.

"I find it hard to believe that Harry and Walter are twins" Judith said.

Lily said "Don't say anything in front of James as he still has not realised how behind for his age Walter is.

Judith pointed out "Both Harry and Geoff are very mature and advanced for their ages".

Lily told her "James does not take muggle primary school very seriously and thinks everyone is doing well because it is easy. He is going to find out when they all go to Hogwarts what he should know already".

On the morning of the 6th May 1991the phone rang and Lily answered it. When she came back she said "Mrs Magan from across the road gave birth to a baby girl last night at about ten so this is the start of all the babies".

"I wish someone would have a boy because all the boys round here are older and at school" said Bruno

"She has a boy the same age as me but we are not in the same class. His name is Kevin and he is a very quiet boy who is good at maths. He did very well in the competitions" said Geoff.

"They also have a boy and girl at Hogwarts" said Harry.

"Did they say what they were going to call the baby girl"? Damon asked.

"I will find out this afternoon as I am going over to see her" Lily said.

The older ones them jumped up and started to get ready for school.

Later that day Lily said "The Magan's called baby girl Angela she is a beautiful baby".

The other person Lily found to work for the family was a young woman who left Hogwarts after her fourth year as she decided to change to a muggle school. She had tried Hogwarts but could not settle as her mother had been killed by death eaters and she was reminded of that all the time. She found the change hard but got acceptable marks in her O levels and trained to be a nanny. She was now interested in getting back to the magical world. Her name was Brenda and she was very excited to be responsible for the new triplets when they arrived. She started in early June as the triplets would be very unlikely to be later than mid July although they were due around 20 August 1991. She was a good driver and could take the children all over the place as Lily could not drive now because she was too big. This was useful during the end of the school term as the weather was getting warmer and the children liked going swimming.

On 14 June 1991the phone rang again and Lily answered it and when she came back she said "Vivian gave birth to a baby boy in the early hours of the morning".

Bruno said "I am glad the baby is a boy at last it will be fun to have a boy around".

"Are we going to see the baby soon? We have only seen Angela once and she is over a month old" Shirley asked.

"It will be fun to see the baby. Vivian said we could all have a hold when we see him" said Ellen.

The older children were at school so they did not know yet. The younger ones were all pleased that they would be able to see the baby soon as they had been looking forward to it. They were all very close to Vivian as she had been looking after them since they were babies.

"What is his name"? Adele asked Lily.

"I don't know if they have decided yet" said Lily.

They found out later that the baby's name was Gavin.

With all the extra subjects Harry was learning he still had time to spend with his friends and they went to the pool about twice a week. They were all good swimmers for their ages and some went to the pool more often. Bentley was doing particularly well as he was at all sport. After the competitions many children at the school were working very hard as they felt there was something to aim for. Harry was not neglecting his school work as he wanted to keep up his record of coming top every year since he started. The results were not entirely dependent on end of term tests. The work during the year counted but he started to study hard for the tests all the same. The tests came and went and then the school had a lot of sporting events while they were being marked and the weather was getting better. Harry came top and Lily, Remus, Caroline Black, Judith, Vivian and all his family excluding James and Walter were very pleased. Professor Dumbledore even sent him a letter congratulating him.

At the end of the term on 28 June Myra had her sixth birthday party and many little girls were round at the Potters. Then three days later on 1 July the triplets had their fourth. Harry was a great help with both and many parents were most impressed. James took Walter away for a few days and they missed both parties. The young children didn't even notice.

Judith was wondering what was going on but Vivian had told her that James was only interested in Walter. Judith was horrified at Walter but was told he was much better than he used to be. Brenda was too polite to say anything and as she was a nanny she had come across other parents who did not regularly take an interest in their children.

Lily was getting very restless and was wondering how long she could hold on to the babies. Her other triplets were very early but they had thrived from the start. At first she had wanted to go for longer but now she just wanted them out. James and Walter had come home the day after the first triplet's birthday party but went away again on the morning of 6 July. By this time it was clear that Lily would not go very much longer before she gave birth. By that afternoon she was very stressed about James being away and Brenda called the healer as the babies were obviously on their way and they would be at least as early as the others were. Two women came to help and they stayed overnight as the babies would be there by morning. Lily was in the hidden part of the house and it was well set up as she had given birth there many times. As they used magic they could cope with tiny babies.

After a very busy night Lily had a little girl just after four in the morning and she was soon followed by two boys. They were all tiny but healthy and Lily was exhausted. She was only thirty one but felt she was getting too old for this. She was sure it was not so hard last time. After she had fed them and had a good sleep she felt very proud of herself. Brenda was very excited and had stayed up most of the night as she was looking forward to seeing them.

Harry had gone to bed at about ten on the night before and woke up at six in the morning. He went downstairs to find out if there was any news. There was no one in the main part of the house so he called one of the house elves.

"Binky" Harry called.

"Yes master Harry" Binky said as she appeared.

"Has mum had the babies"?

"Yes master Harry" said Binky.

"Is it alright to go to the hidden part of the house".

"Yes Mistress Lily and the babies are now sleeping so if you are quiet it will be alright for you to go through because you are a good boy" said Binky

He was satisfied that everything was alright once he saw them so he went back up stairs to shower and change.

Lily stayed in that part of the house for three more days and then James came home with Walter and they wondered where she was.

Walter was annoyed and said "I do not like babies" and stamped his foot.

James was concerned about not being around when they were born. "I should have been here I did not know she was going to have them yet".

Harry thought his father would never grow up as it was quite clear when he went away that she was about to have them. James went to see Lily and the babies while the house elves took care of Walter.

Lily was back in the main part of the house the next day and they were talking about naming the babies.

"What are the baby's names"? said Myra.

"We were waiting to see what they are going to look like and now we know as one of the healers did a test and found that the little girl was going to look just like me. She would have dark red hair and bright green eyes. The first boy would be just like James and the other boy a bit of both. We have called the little girl Vera, the one like James is Owen and the last born is named Rory" said Lily.

They had all put on a little weight but were still very tiny and the children were not allowed to touch them. Harry had a quick hold of each of them when the others were not there and did not know. Lily always treated him as if he was much older as he was so mature and was good with children.


	8. Gardenia Dursley

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

**8**

**Gardenia Dursley**

A few days after the babies were born Harry, Geoff, Damon and Ben were getting ready to go to their usual trip to the beach the next day when there was a phone call.

Lily came back from the phone and said to Ben "Your sister Gardenia is going to come and live with us.

Ben looked thrilled and said "She is the only one in my family I miss. Is she magical"?

Lily said "Yes she is and Petunia wants her to be collected as soon as possible. She is three months older than Adele so they would be starting school together after the holidays".

"When is she coming"? Ben asked Lily.

"Brenda and I will go and get Gardenia when I have fed the babies so you will be here when she arrives".

Lily wanted Brenda to drive because she felt it was safer as she was still not sleeping very well. She took a picture of the babies with her and also one of Ben.

Gardenia was a beautiful little girl. She had blonde hair and blue eyes but her features looked exactly like Lily's. As expected she was very upset at being thrown out of her home but was looking forward to being with Ben as they had always been very close. Lily found it interesting that herself and her sister both had twins but neither set were close. Harry was close to all his other brothers and sisters and also to Geoff and Ben now. Lily was sure Gardenia would fit in well. She was almost exactly the same size as Myra although she was nearly a year younger. They looked alike as well except for their colouring. Myra had dark brown hair and soft brown eyes and was a sweet loving child. The one closer to Gardenia's age was Adele and she was very tiny and had almost black hair and brown and green eyes. Adele was cute and sparkly and made friends very easily. She was thrilled to have a cousin to start school with after the summer.

While they were away Judith and the house elves got the room ready for her. She was going in with the other four girls and as Lily knew she was coming sometime they had the plan of how to make the room like the boys all set up and it did not take very long. All the materials were ready and had been waiting in the boy's old room. All the Potter girls were very excited about the new arrival. They were all different little girls but were very close. The two youngest girls were not identical although they were part of triplets. Shirley looked very like Myra and Gardenia as they were all like Lily. Shirley had red/brown hair while Ellen's hair was a lighter red/brown and both of their eyes were a sort of blue/green mix. Ellen was a smaller build and that made her more like Adele.

When Lily and Brenda arrived home with Gardenia Ben gave her a hug and the girls were very excited to take her to her room. They all ran off and she put her few belongings in her area. She had been used to sharing a room with her older sister, who was Ben's twin, but her sister had always made it quite apparent that she did not want her there. When it was time to eat Gardenia seemed to have settled in nicely and chatted away to Ben and the girls. She was a bit sad that Ben was going away the next day but was told that there were plenty of activities planned for the girls and Bruno when they were away.

The next day the four boys all went camping. There were more than twenty of them now and only the old people slept in the house. The others were in a very large tent and they had built an extra bathroom that could be accessed from outside the house and it was very handy to the tent.

Ben said to the others "I think it is really cool that Gardenia is living with us now. She is the only one I liked and now it turns out that she is magical like us. I wonder what she did".

"We can ask her when we get home. She is only five and you were seven when you came" said Harry.

"I think I did some magic before then but no one knew what it was until I turned Dudley's T shirt pink when he was at the table because he was teasing me".

"What did your mother say? Could you turn it back"? Geoff asked.

"Mum screamed and dad went purple and yelled **freak. **I did notturn it back to whatever colour it was".

They all swam and went fishing although they did not catch very much. After they had been on the beach for about four days they moved to a secluded location where they could go flying. The boys all knew that was planned and had their brooms. The model they had was not a very fast one but was known as a very safe one for children to learn on. Harry was ready to move to a faster one but he thought he would wait until he was twelve and then ask. He got this one for his seventh birthday and Walter had two new ones since then. He broke the first one and then James got him another one that was better. Damon still had the one Walter got when Harry got his. After about four more days they had to go home. They had all enjoyed themselves and this was the first time for Ben. He was growing quite tall and was very strong.

When they got home all the girls and Bruno were telling them about Gavin (Vivian's baby).

They were going on about the way he held their fingers.

"His fingers are so tiny and he held mine really tight. He is very strong" Said Myra.

"He held ours too" the other little girls all said.

"It will be fun when he can run around and play" Bruno said.

Harry could remember all that from when they were babies but it was a novelty for them. Gardenia had settled in well but was pleased to see Ben home. She ran up and hugged him.

"I missed you" she said "but we had a lot of fun".

James had taken Walter out while Lily took the girls and Bruno to parks a few times. Judith helped when they went out as six little ones was quite a lot for one to look after. She also took all of them to see her family and gave Lily a break. Judith's half siblings were a similar age to some of them and they got on very well. Her relatives thought Myra and Gardenia were twins and the girls all thought that was very funny.

Brenda was very busy with the babies as three were very demanding. Lily had to be there to nurse them but spent a lot of time with her other girls as it was holidays. The children were not allowed to handle the babies yet as they was so tiny but Vivian let them all have a hold of Gavin as he was a sturdy baby and was just over three weeks older. Vivian had a hold of each of the triplets and it brought back memories of the last set and she was glad she only had one baby who was more robust.

All the boys (except Walter) told everyone about the things they had done in the last few days. Everyone watched a video that night before going to bed. Bruno told them that while they were away Remus had been away as well and he would have been alone up on that floor so he slept in the boy's old room. It was next to the girl's room but was now much smaller and only a single room. The wall had been moved to make the girl's room bigger.

Lily had had found when she went to collect Gardenia that Petunia was pregnant and said she was due to have triplets early December but they would probably come before then. Lily also realised that they may finish up with at least one of Petunia's latest litter. Lily thought that Petunia had given up the two nicest of her children. When she was round at her place she had met the others and did not like them very much. Dudley was big and blond. He was just like his father with his mother's colouring. Dahlia was like her mother with her father's colouring. She was tall and skinny and had a long neck. It was not what they looked like that mattered, it was how they behaved and these two children were just not nice. They were both being nasty to Gardenia for being a **freak** and Lily wondered how they felt if they thought about the fact that if they could do magic their parents would not want them. Lily felt she would love her children unconditionally although she struggled with Walter. Walter was a very difficult case and where he went to be looked after during full moon there were others very like him.

Lily had not discussed this with the rest of her family but healers were trying to find out why they were that way. It was interesting that they were all born between April and November 1980. There were twenty five of them that she knew about. The only thing they had heard was from one of the other parents. She was muggle born and had taken her son to a muggle hospital after he had a fall and there was an African nurse. The other members of staff were puzzled about the why scars did not heal on him and other things about his appearance. The African nurse said that there had been a curse on the father just before the child had been conceived. Of course the rest of the staff were polite to the nurse but did not believe in that sort of thing. The mother thought it was possible and it was being looked into. The healers had contacted one of the ministries in Africa and they said there were several curses that worked like that and as they had not seen the children they could not name it.

Photos and samples had been sent and they were waiting for results. The question Lily had was: How come Harry did not have it? All of the others had perfectly normal siblings but the others were not twins. They had all been very noisy and demanding babies and had stayed babies. They just got bigger. They were all real cowards about anything to do with themselves but very cruel in the way they treated others. They all carried a lot of extra weight although few of them came from families who were overweight. Their magic levels were low and if they did get to Hogwarts they would be struggling both magically and academically.

Two of the families had sent their children to muggle schools and one was in a special class and the other one had a teacher aid to herself. They had stopped going to care as it cost too much and they could not afford it. They both said that even if their child does get a letter they would not let them go to Hogwarts as they felt they would be dangerous with a wand. Lily agreed with the families and wished James felt the same. It would have been much cheaper to send Walter to a muggle school and he would have got used to it even if he did not want to go. It was probably James negative attitude about it that made him feel that way. Lily wished James was a better father to the other children although he had spent a lot of time with Walter and if he had not done that Lily wondered how she would have coped.

Lily thought about when Harry and Walter were born and the healer had said that Walter was not as developed as Harry at birth although he was a larger baby. He had given the impression that he was conceived later and as that is very rare. Lily had heard of people having twins with two different fathers so it was possible to make two eggs and only one get fertilised and the other fertilised later. She decided to contact the healers who delivered them and see if they had kept records that she could look at. They were born during the time Voldemort was very strong and they just wanted to get their boys to a safe location after they were born. It had not seemed necessary to go into all those details as it looked as if they had two healthy boys so what did it matter.


	9. The Letters

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

You will all find out what is wrong with Walter soon, although you have had a hint in chapter eight.

James has not hit Harry since just before he turned nine. That was the time Harry understood the snake. Before that he was not hit very hard but it was not fair and he resented it. Lily made it clear to James it must not happen again after that time and it has not and will not.

You will find out later about all the kids. There are eleven of their own not twenty. I had not heard of the Duggars as I live in a different country. I looked them up – interesting.

Harry wants to go to a muggle school so he can go to university so another magic school would not help.

**9**

**The Letters**

The day after the boys got back from their break an owl arrived in front of Harry at the breakfast table. Walter was not up yet and James must have recognised the owl as he grabbed the letter from the owl before Harry had a chance and started to leave the room. Lily followed him and brought the letter back. The owl had gone.

James came back into the room and said "Harry you can't open the letter until Walter has one".

Harry wondered what would happen if Walter did not get one. Maybe he would be able to go to a muggle school after all.

Walter came down to breakfast and James gave Harry a frown so he put the letter in his pocket. About twenty minutes later one came in for Walter. James looked very relieved and it showed that he was aware that Walter was a borderline squib and may have not been quite magical enough. He made a big fuss about the letter.

Walter said "I want to go to Diagon Alley to get my wand now".

James said "I will see if Sirius can come too". Then he turned to Remus.

"Do you want to come to Daigon Alley because you are Walter's godfather"?

Remus looked uncomfortable as he had been at the table when Harry's letter had come. Remus said "I need to go and see my mother as she is not very well and I am hoping to take Geoff with me.

James accepted that as he knew it was true.

James and Walter left the room and Lily asked Harry "Are you going to open your letter"?

Harry said "I am going to finish my breakfast first but you can open it if you want to see it".

Lily opened it and said "There is a note addressed to you as well as the acceptance letter and equipment list".

He took the note and it was from Professor Dumbledore telling him that arrangements had been made for the more academic students to do some extra subjects and sit muggle qualifications if they wished. They had to pass everything on the compulsory list to be able to stay in the programme.

Harry showed the note to Lily and she said "Professor Dumbledore has been planning to do this for a while".

The note said that not everyone would sit the muggle exams but some of the subjects would be electives from the third year and for the OWLs and NEWTs later.

Harry said "I still would rather go to a muggle school".

Just as he said that James came in with Sirius and said "If you have a letter you are going to Hogwarts".

As they were leaving Sirius called out to Remus "Why are you not going to Diagon Alley with your Godson"?

Walter piped up and said "I do not want him to go as he is only my teacher".

Harry said quietly "Sirius has a cheek commenting about Godsons considering his record".

Sirius heard him and just stared at Harry and James said "Harry do you want to come"?

Walter stamped his foot and yelled "I don't want Harry to come. This is just for me".

Harry took no notice of Walter and said to his father "No thanks but I would not mind a set of books".

Walter said "They will have to be second hand".

Harry said "They will be new or I will not go".

James knew he meant it and later in the afternoon when they came home Harry was handed a set of new first year books.

Walter came down the stairs later bragging to Harry "Look I have a wand and you don't have one".

"What is it made of"? Harry asked.

Walter shrugged and handed Harry the box. Harry saw that it was mahogany with dragon heart string core, ten inches and quite stiff.

Students were not allowed to use wands outside school hours until they were seventeen so it was not any use getting one until the day before school started although if everyone did that it would be hard to manage.

Harry spent the next few days helping in the new garden Judith was starting in the hidden part of next door. That part of the property was in very good order considering how the visible part was. It was also very large both inside the house and the property around it. There were two old house elves looking after the place and Lily was accepted by them as the house used to belong to her original family as well as the place the Potters now lived in. Lily knew that as there was a portrait of her grandfather who told her many things about the family. It was this portrait that suggested that she purchase the house as soon as it came on the market.

Before Harry and Walters birthdays Lily took Harry to a room in the hidden part of the house and introduced him to his great grandfather's portrait.

His great grandfather told Harry "You are very like I was myself at eleven years old and ready to attend Hogwarts".

Harry said "I do not want to go to Hogwarts because I would rather go to a muggle school so I learn the right things towards going to university".

His great grandfather said "I know that but you will enjoy it when you go and you need to go as it is clear that you are very powerful and if you are not trained to use the power properly there could be problems later".

The portrait said "There are small copies the same as the portrait you are looking at in a hidden place. I want you to go and fetch one and take it with you when you go away".

After being given instructions Harry and Lily went and found the copies and Harry took one out. When he took it back to the large one his great grandfather told him "As there is this portrait in the house you will be able to send messages to your mother by talking to the small one and I can take a message back".

He told Harry "My name was Timon Wintringham and I started Hogwarts in September 1910 and was I was in Ravenclaw house. I think that is the best house for you as well although people are different and it would not suit everyone".

Harry wondered how Timon knew so much about him and Timon (or the portrait) must have realised that. He said "I travel to the portraits in the other part of the house but I am careful not to be seen. You are a good son and a good brother and I am very proud of you".

Harry said "Thank you, I have always tried to be a decent person but I feel my father, godfather and twin have no time for me at all".

On 31 July Harry and Walter turned eleven.

Walter wanted his own party and James said "You should have one together as you are twins".

Walter made such a fuss that Harry said "If that is how Walter feels I would rather not be part of it".

James was disappointed as he was trying to get back on Harry's good side but it was just not working out. He decided to give them equal birthday presents as he had not done that since they were seven. He asked Harry "Do you want a new broom"?

Harry said "Thanks but I would rather wait until next year as first year students are not allowed their own at school".

James gave Harry some money that should not be spent on school supplies as he needed them and would get them anyway. Harry was not sure what he would get as he had his owl, Astra and did not need another pet.

Walter had his party on the day before his birthday as he was going to go to something with a boy he met when he was in care for a few days a month in the last few years. The boy came to the party and Harry noticed how alike they were. Neither of them came from families who were overweight but they both were. There were two another things Harry noticed and one was their eyes. Both of them had eyes so pale they were almost dirty white. Walter's had not always been like that as they used to be like James's but now they had faded. The other thing was they seemed to have scars on their bodies. Walter did not only have the _boy who lived_ scars. Other things that would heal on other people still showed scars and the other boy had many scars as well.

The boy's name was Oscar Sparkes and he was eleven last April. They both looked as if they were not very bright and had the same spoilt child expression on their faces. Oscar's parents were there as well and they seemed very nice and sometimes looked uncomfortable about the way Oscar was behaving. Sirius came round and gave Walter a new Nimbus Two Thousand broom.

Fortunately Oscar's parents managed to distract him as there would have been a tantrum. So Walter was not the only one but Oscar's parents did not pander to his every wish. Both boys just ate cakes and sweets like little kids although there was plenty of other food.

Mr and Mrs Sparks quietly came over to Harry and said "Have a happy birthday Harry. It must be hard having a twin like Walter. Oscar has no brothers and sisters his age as one sister is five years older and the other is six years younger". Mrs Sparks then said "I am pregnant and the baby will be born about January. We are hoping Oscar will be too involved with school to be jealous as it was very hard last time and that is when he had to start spending some of his time in care".

Sirius heard what Oscar's parents said to Harry and realised he had not given Harry anything for his birthday since he was one. Even then Walter was hogging the attention. Caroline Black and the children were there as well and Harry saw Caroline go and talk to Oscar's parents. Harry heard what they were saying and he sounded very like Walter.

Walter went away with the Sparks family and Harry, Geoff, Damon and Ben went next door as their friends were with their grandmother. They introduced Harry and the others to a pair of boy and girl twins who were going to Hogwarts this year as well. They were Simon and Tamara Hanley and they had identical twin brothers three years younger. Simon and Tamara were very nice and their twin brothers were like younger versions of the Weasley twins. Harry's best friend was one of Nana Roses's grandsons and his name was Emery Dalziell and he was going as well. They all went to the swimming pool for the rest of the afternoon and Ben got very friendly with the Hanley identical twins. The Hanley's were not related to Nana Rose but were very close friends, a bit like the Potters.

The next day Harry had a party at home and all his friends were there. Even the people who he just met yesterday came. The four youngest Weasleys came and Ron was introduced to some people who would be going to Hogwarts so he would be watching for them on the train. Fred and George Weasley were very interested in the younger Hanley twins (Jeremy and Daniel) and promised to train them up when they came to Hogwarts. By that time Fred and George would be in their sixth year. Ron got on very well with Simon and hoped they were in the same house.

James was at the party and was nice to everyone. Ron noticed the change in him and asked Harry "Why is your father being so nice"?

Harry said "He has started being much nicer and I don't know why".

Lily had given Harry some nice new clothes for his birthday and he wore them for his party.

The next day Lily and James took Harry to Diagon Alley to get his school supplies. He already had his books and had read some of them. He also needed a few things for his muggle subjects and there was a stationary shop close by that was recommended. He needed exercise books with lines, similar to the ones he used at primary school. Pens and pencils and a calculator were other things he would not use for his traditional Hogwarts subjects. They had to get the text books by mail order and Harry already had them.

As he was taking more subjects he needed more room in his trunk James got him one with two extra compartments although it was no bigger or heavier to carry round. This was more expensive but just looked like an ordinary trunk so no one needed to know.

Most of the supplies for the first year were routine but he chose his scales and telescope. He was fitted with robes for Hogwarts and he also had a note that he needed some muggle style clothing as he was taking muggle subjects and sometimes they would have to go out. Lily had already given him some but Harry bought himself a pair of very high quality shoes that looked good and were comfortable. He used some birthday money for those. He already had some shoes from a sale in a muggle shop for everyday as muggle shops were often cheaper because there was more competition. All he needed now was a wand.

When he went in to purchase his wand he tried a lot and they were taken out of his hand for various reasons. At last he found one that suited him and it was holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.

Mr Ollivander said "This one has a core from the same phoenix that gave one for _you know who's _wand. I had expected it to suit your brother but it would not work for him at all".

It was a different wood and Harry was pleased about that. Mr Ollivander was giving him some very strange looks and told him "You are very powerful and I expect great things from you".

When they left Harry said to his parents "I felt that man was creepy and knows something about me".

Harry loved his wand in spite of all that as it just felt right.

James told him when they got home "People were going to find out that you are the _boy who lived _and you should tell your godfather".

Harry said "I feel as if I don't even have a godfather and there are other people more important to me than Sirius".

When Lily asked "who"?

Harry said "Nana Rose"

Lily said "I am sure she knows already although she has not said anything". James nodded in agreement.

Harry thought they were probably right.

The trip had gone quite well and James had been nice to him. Lily was quite tired as the second triplets were less than a month old and she was not used to going out for very long.

James was interested in the calculator and said "I did not think things like this worked at Hogwarts".

Lily said "I was told that a special building has been built away from the castle where magic cannot be done".

Harry thought it was a bit like the primary school.

James started reading Harry's maths books and working out how to use a calculator and found it quite hard. Lily could do it as she had used one before but they were all different.

Harry showed the others his things but not the extra compartments in the trunk. That was a secret and would stay that way. Harry sent Astra to Ron and told him most of the things that he did today. He was careful discussing material things as Ron had a hang up about being poor.


	10. Off to Hogwarts

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

I have not described what Professor McGonagall says to the new students as it is all in book one and I can't see any point in copying it out.

Sorry it has been a while.

**10**

**Off to Hogwarts**

August went by quickly as Harry was busy with his family and friends. While he was spending time in the new garden with Judith they had a chat and he had a chance to talk to her.

"Did you like going to Hogwarts"? He asked Judith.

"Yes I did but I can see where you are coming from in wanting to go to a muggle school as there are far more opportunities available after you leave school".

"What house were you in and what do you think of the house system"? Harry asked.

"I was in Hufflepuff and I liked it there. I was not cleaver enough for Ravanclaw but I think that is a good house for those who are. The other two are in battle with each other all the time and it is often about nothing. I think they may be better without the houses but the castle is designed for that system and it would be hard to change it".

"Did some of the other students act as if they thought your house was weak"?

"Yes and they were mostly in Slytherin but we did not care as none of us thought it was weak to be hard working and loyal. We also had a higher average in exam results than both Gryffindor and Slytherin while I was there. It was also very unusual for Hufflepuffs to get in trouble in class for misbehaving or not having homework in on time. We did not win as many quidditch matches as the other houses and they take that very seriously and wining a match wins house points".

"I do not think Hufflepuff is a weak house and I also have seen some poor examples of behaviour from people who were in both Gryffindor and Slytherin. If I had to be in one I would prefer Gryffindor than Slytherin as I would not want to be in the same house as the creep who did this". Harry answered, pointing to his forehead.

Harry also did a few potions with Lily and he was getting quite good at brewing. Caroline Black came round a few times and they spent more time on French and Latin. He also read through all his text books quickly.

Harry, Geoff, Damon, Ben and Bruno made a day trip to the Weasleys and played quidditch in their garden one afternoon late August. Geoff and Ginny Weasley had another year to wait before they started Hogwarts and they got on very well. When they were leaving Mrs Weasley called out to them. "Would you like to bring the girls round tomorrow as we would love to see them"?

Harry said "I will ask mum if it is OK and if she says it is we will bring them. They are all younger than your family and that is why they have not come with us"

The next day Myra, Gardenia, Adele, Shirley and Ellen all went with the boys and they had a great big fuss made of them. As soon as they got there Molly Weasley was hugging the little girls and was introduced to Gardenia.

Gardenia seemed as if she had always been with the Potters and loved the Weasley's chaotic home. It was quite different from the Potters as they were quite organised. Six years of having to get children to day school on time would make people more organised. The Weasley family could run to their own timetable most of the time.

The Weasley twins, George and Fred came out and played with all the younger ones and Molly was watching to see they behaved. Even Percy came and talked to them and of course they had a lovely afternoon tea. It was like a party.

While they were away Judith tried to get Walter to help in the garden but he was not interested so Lily tried to interest him in potions and he refused to do that as well. In the end James and Sirius took him flying on his new Nimbus two thousand. Harry found out that Walter had broken his last broom and Sirius had replaced it with the Nimbus. That was two he had broken. Harry wondered what he did with them as they were strong and very expensive. He was sure Caroline would not be pleased with him spending all that money as they had a boy of six, a girl of four and another one due soon.

Caroline gave birth to another boy on 27 August 1991 while Sirius was away flying with James and Walter. Her mother was over from France for the birth which was a few days early. Carolyn was pleased he came early as if he was born in September he would wait another year to start at Hogwarts or any other magical school. All three of her children came a little early but she was not expecting this one to. The three came back from flying the next day and Sirius quickly went home to see his wife and new son.

It was almost time to go away and Harry was getting used to the idea. He had several friends who were going but he would miss many people at home. His best friend Emery Dalziell was going and Emery's cousins, the Magans also were going. Robert Magan was going to be in his second year and his sister Gillian in her sixth. The other first year students he knew, other than Walter and his friend Oscar were Simon and Tamara Hanley and Ron Weasley. There were going to be seven of them leaving from their street as Simon and Tamara were staying with Nana Rose.

Vivian's husband was a wizard and had gone to Horwarts for a year and then his family came on hard times and he had to leave and go to a muggle school. He was a bus driver for a small company that people could charter for events. He was doing a run into London on Sunday 1 September to pick up some people for a trip about lunch time. He offered to take everyone to Kings Cross station on the way in. There were seven students and others to see them off and there would be plenty of room on the bus so everyone accepted the offer.

The younger children were also getting ready to go back to school or go for the first time. Adele and Gardenia were very excited about starting and Harry was wishing he was still going to his old school as he was always happy there. The younger ones were not going to go to the station as there would be too many people and Lily thought so many children could attract attention. They were disappointed as they were all very close to Harry and would miss him.

They all had to say goodbye and everyone was hugging Harry but no one even looked at Walter. Sirius was there to see all that and looked a little sad. Walter just looked bored and did not even say goodbye to them and they did not even look at him. Harry loved them all very much, even the ones who were not his siblings. He felt that Walter lived in his own world where he was the centre and everything just happened around him without him noticing.

They had a good trip into London as Ian Fleming, the driver, had insisted on leaving in plenty of time so they were relaxed when they got there. There were a few pets in their group. Walter had his cat, Trumble, Harry had his owl, Astra and the others all had owls as well. They were careful how they exited the bus as they did not want to attract attention. Walter let James and Sirius take all his things and just waddled alongside them. Lily walked with Harry and they went through the wall first.

Harry and Lily went to find a carriage to put his things and save a place for the others. Robert and Gillian were going to meet some friends from their own years and Emery, Simon and Tamara were all sitting with Harry and keeping a seat for Ron Weasley. Walter went over to Oscar as soon as he got there and left it to Oscar's parents and James and Sirius to find them a place to sit and put their things away. Two more people who looked like Walter and Oscar joined them and they were both girls. Harry heard them being introduced and their names were Florence Emrys and Tara Layburn. They had the same faded eyes, scars, vacant expression, spoilt baby look and overweight body. Harry thought this was too much of a coincidence and was sure there was some definite reason why they were all like that.

Harry left the train and stood with their group. Nana Rose was there with her family and Harry knew all of them now. It was almost time to go when the Weasleys turned up and Simon pointed out where they were sitting then it was time to say goodbye. Harry hugged his mother and Nana Rose and then James came up and gave him a hug so things really had changed. Even Sirius spoke to him nicely for some reason. Lily gave Walter a hug and Walter did not even seem to notice but he was just the same with James and Sirius. Harry's group went to their carriage and Walter, Oscar, Florence and Tara waddled off to theirs.

The train pulled out and Harry waved to his parents and friends and also watched Ginny Weasley running along with the train. She and everyone got left behind and now things were going to change forever. They talked until the lady came round with the food trolley and they bought a little from it for the novelty but all of them had packed lunches. Ron was moaning about the contents of his sandwiches so there was a little swapping round as the others liked what was in his. After eating their lunch it was quiet for a time as everyone was either sleepy or thinking about what was coming up tonight.

Then they had a few visitors. A blond boy came in with two rather large companions and said "Are you Walter Potter's brother?" to Harry

Harry said "Yes".

The blond boy said "I am Draco Malfoy and we have just been talking to your brother and he is just crazy".

Harry answered "I know what he is like and you should be grateful you have not had to live with him. I am Harry, what are your friend's names"?

Draco said "This is Crabbe and Goyle".

Harry said "Hi" to Crabbe and Goyle and they grunted back. Then he said "These people are Tamara and Simon Hanley, Emery Dalziell and Ron Weasley".

Ron glared at Draco and the others were polite enough to say "Hi".

They went out soon after that and Ron said "The Malfoy family are bad news".

Harry and the others all said "We know" and Emery added "We don't know what he is like yet although we is probably just like the rest of them but we don't want to make enemies at this stage".

A bushy haired girl came in with two boys behind her, one was very shy and rather upset and the other was a very intelligent and nice looking Chinese boy.

"She said "My name is Hermione Granger and these are Neville Longbottom and Leo Chee"

They chatted for a while and then they found out that the shy boy called Neville had lost his toad, which had been a present and they were looking for it.

Harry said "I have not seen the toad but it should turn up".

The others did not say anything as they had not seen it either.

They talked for a while and Harry particularly liked Leo and hoped they were in the same house.

Then Hermione started talking about houses. None of them had managed to find out how they were sorted but all knew which house they wanted to be in.

Harry said "I want to be in Ravenclaw" and everyone told him that would be his house. Leo said "I would also like to be in Ravenclew". The main reason why Harry wanted to go there was that he would be sorted before Walter and would not know where he would be but it could not possibly be Ravenclaw.

Emery said "I would like to be in Hufflepuff". He was a very kind fair person and most people who knew him thought he would suit Hufflepuff.

Simon, Tamara, Ron, Hermione and Neville all wanted to be in Gryffindor although Hermione said she would not mind Ravenclaw. They would just have to wait and see.

When their visitors left Ron said "I would not like to be in the same house as Hermione, she is too bossy".

Harry thought she was alright but thought she may be better suited to Ravenclaw and she had also said that she would be happy to go there.

Ron also said "I would not like a toad and would be glad to lose it but I am in no position to speak as I have a stupid rat".

Harry said "What rat? I have never seen your rat"

Ron said "It has been in the family for almost ten years but used to belong to Percy. When he became a prefect this year dad bought him an owl so he gave me the rat". Ron got the rat out and started to do some silly spell on it to turn it yellow, which did not work.

Harry took one look at the rat and had the same feeling that he did with the first cat Walter came home with.

He quickly said "Excuse me, I am going to the bathroom" so he went out and found a quiet spot and spoke to his great grandfather's portrait about it.

He said he would take a message to Lily and James and told Harry not to say anything about it to anyone. Harry used the facilities while he was there and returned to the compartment.

Later in the afternoon a voice came over telling them they would soon be there so they all took their jackets off and put their robes on over their jeans and tee shirts. Tamara was outside the door talking to Hermione, Neville and Leo, some of the other first years Harry and his friends had met earlier.

Soon they were all dressed and ready to go. Harry made sure he had the picture of his great grandfather in his pocket as he was going to listen to the sorting. The arrangement had been made with his mother and she had planned to go to the main portrait at nine that night and find out what house they were in. This was all between Harry, Lily and the portrait and Harry thought it was a good idea as he would be too tired to write until at least the next day.

They all went out on to the chilly platform and a very large man called Hagrid was calling for all the first years so they moved over to him while the older students got into some carriages that started moving as soon as they were occupied.

Hagrid looked around and said "Is everyone here?" and no one knew of any others so Hagid and the first years made their way down to the side of a lake.

He told them "All get into the boats and no more than four to each boat".

Harry got in with Ron, Emery and Simon while Tamara, Hermione, Neville and Leo got into the one next to it. Once the boats were full Hagrid told them to move and they all started to make their way over the lake towards the castle. It looked beautiful from the boats and as they gazed at it the trip seems to take no time at all.

They got out at the castle and made their way up stairs and Hagrid knocked on a door which was answered by Professor McGonagall, who Harry had met before but did not know very well. She took them into a room and told them all about the houses then she told them to wait until they were ready and tidy themselves up while they were waiting.

When she left the room everyone started talking about how they were going to be sorted. If anyone actually knew they were not telling and the ideas were getting more and more ridiculous by the second. Some ghosts came in and were arguing about letting someone into the feast. Hearing about the feast made Harry realise he was very hungry as lunch seemed to be hours ago. The Hufflepuff ghost spoke to the students and said he would like to see them in his house and Harry thought that for a ghost he seemed rather nice.

The professor came back to tell them it was time to come in. Harry took a quick look at the portrait he had with him to see if his great grandfather was there as it was time and he was there and nodded. Harry followed the others into the hall and everyone was staring at them so he felt nervous all of a sudden. He had been thinking about other things as he had all his friends with him but now he felt so conspicuous and to make things worse Walter and his group were talking as if they were not aware that they were being watched.

3


	11. The portrait's message

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

**11**

**The portrait's message**

While Harry was completing his journey on the train to school with his friends his great grandfather went back to his original portrait and then travelled through the house to find Lily.

"Lily" called Timon from another portrait in the lounge while she was nursing one of the babies.

She looked up and was a bit concerned as she did not expect any news yet.

Timon said "You may like to call James as there could be some interesting information here".

"James can you come here please" called Lily.

Damon came in and said his father was outside and he would go and get him.

"What is it Lily, is everything alright"? James said as he came running in.

"Timon has a message for us" said Lily. They both looked up to the portrait.

Timon told them "Harry was in the compartment with Ron Weasley and Ron pulled out a very old Rat he had as a pet and said it had been in the family for about ten years but used to belong to Percy. Percy gave it to Ron when his father bought him an owl for becoming a prefect. Harry told me he had exactly the same feeling as he had with Walter's first cat".

"Peter Pettigrew" James jumped up and yelled.

"It seems very likely" said Lily.

Peter Pettigrew was their secret keeper when the family was almost wiped out on 31 October 1981. Professor Dumbledore and senior members of the ministry knew that Peter could turn into a rat but as there are so many rats he had never been found. It looked as if he had been living with the Weasleys ever since. Typical Peter, he was a real coward but knew how to look after himself. He should have been in Slytherin. Fortunately James and Sirius had registered as animagus years ago as it was likely to come out now.

"If it is not him Harry is probably right that the rat is an animagus after recognising the cat as one but we cannot guarantee that it is Peter. Whoever it is he or she should be checked up on but I bet it is Peter". James was raving on. "I am going to floo Sirius".

James ran out of the room and went to a fire place on the network and came back a few minutes later and said "Sirius and I have decided to talk to Dumbledore. He is on his way and we are going now".

Sirius came running in and said "I hope it is him. It would be good to get all this sorted out after all this time. I hope Harry is right but he has done it before".

Timon said "I think you should take another copy of my portrait with you so you can communicate with Lily and with Harry if necessary. I would not usually want too many used at once as I cannot be in more than one place at a time but there are a few hours before the sorting and that is what I will be listening out for tonight".

Lily was staying at home as she could not get away very easily because the triplets were still under two months old. Remus was out visiting his mother and was going to be away until tea time so he could not go.

Sirius and James decided to floo to Hogsmead, which was near Hogwarts and contact Dumbledore from there. It was four in the afternoon when they got to Hogsmead and spoke to Dumbledore and he decided to contact the ministry and they would send an aura. He then went back to the school and spoke to Professor McGonagall as she was an animagus and also the head of Gryffindor house, where Ron was likely to be as all his family was.

When the authorities were contacted they decided not to worry Ron before the sorting but send someone to him to get the rat as soon after that as they could. James and Sirius went home for tea with their families and James put the copy of the portrait back. Harry was going to make sure his copy could hear the sorting and the main one would let them know where he and Walter were sorted. That had been arranged for a while and if Dumbledore knew before nine that night of any outcome he would try to get a message to Harry.

James got home before Remus and Remus was very interested when he got home. He and Geoff had taken his mother out for lunch then gone back to her home and had afternoon tea with her.

Remus said "I do hope it is Peter as the sooner he is found the safer we all are. He could do so much damage as he can hide so easily".

They all had to wait but they had plenty to do with all the children while they were waiting. There were still nine children and three young babies at home counting Geoff and the two Dursleys. Lily, James and Remus were fully occupied up to nine o'clock (as well as Brenda but she did not know about the rat situation) when Remus reminded Lily to go and check the portrait. She ran out to the portrait and found out about the sorting but there was no news about the rat. They all stayed in the room with the fire place while they waited for a call.

It was an hour later before they had a floo call from Professor McGonagall and she called out "The rat was Peter and he has been taken to the ministry. Ron was a bit upset but Percy was absolutely horrified because it had been his pet up to two weeks ago when he got an owl and gave the rat to Ron".

"You would think that Percy would wonder why a rat would live so long. I thought Percy was supposed to be quite bright" said Lily.

"Peter would have a lot of information from listening to the Weasley household and Percy and his friends at school" said Remus.

James said "What are they going to do with him now"?

McGonagall said "I don't know yet and I am not sure they do. It has all been rather sudden. Harry must be quite smart picking that up. I have to go now and contact the Weasley's as I told Percy and Ron I would". She did not know how Harry knew and probably just thought it was because of the rat's age. She did not know he was the BWL as he still wanted it kept quiet.

Lily, James and Remus were pleased Peter had been found and James contacted Sirius immediately. Sirius came through and they all talked for a while and then thought they had better go to bed as there was plenty of work to do in the morning.

In the morning there was news about Peter in the paper but they did not say how he was discovered as Harry had asked to be kept anonymous again and Dumbledore said it was a good idea. As a minor they had to make sure of his safety and he liked to keep a low profile so that made their job easier.

Lily was busy in the morning as six of the children were going to school and two of them were new entrants. She had to go in with them for Adele and Gardenia's first day. They were very excited and that did not make it any easier.

The four year olds, Bruno, Shirley and Ellen who were too all too young to go were crying as they missed Harry. Lily was tired and Judith was trying to keep things going so Lily could get away.

Judith also found it hard without Harry to help in the morning and realised how much they depended on him. Two extra first years to get ready made it hard and there were six lots of packed lunches to get ready. Lily asked the house elves to sort out the lunches as they were just not managing today. One good thing was that Walter was not there as Judith had never become used to the way he carried on although he did not usually get up until after the others had left for school. Other than breast feeding, Brenda was taking care of the babies while Lily was busy with the others.

At last Lily got away with six children all washed, fed and dressed properly and carrying their lunches in their schoolbags. The older ones met their friends and Lily was left with Adele and Gardenia so she went to the office and was shown to the classroom where they would be and it was the same one as Myra was in last year. She stayed with them for a while but both settled in well and even recognised some other children from the neighbourhood so she decided to go. She had been going to do some shopping at the supermarket but was just too tired so she went straight home.

When Lily arrived home Judith had tidied up everything at home and the three four year olds were washed, dressed and fed so they would be right for a while. Vivian called in with baby Gavin and as Lily was so tired she said she would watch the children with Brenda while Judith did the shopping and lily could have a lie down.

Lily was woken up by a house elf as she needed to nurse the babies. She had her first owl from Harry and was pleased to get it as Harry sounded happy although he had not wanted to go to Hogwarts. She was horrified that she had slept for so long and the four year olds had all eaten lunch and the groceries were away. Fortunately Judith had done the washing that had to be done in the visible part of the house. The house elves did a lot but some had to be done in the main part of the house to give the impression that they were muggles. Lily brewed no potions that day but hoped she would be able to get back into routine tomorrow.

Judith went and collected the younger ones from school as they came home before the older ones who made their own way home. Lily was there to hear all about Adele and Gardenia's first day at school and Myra's first day back. They were all happy and had something to show Lily that they had done. They had some afternoon tea and went out to play as the weather was still pleasant.

James came home at tea time and had more news about Peter.

He said "They had a hearing and Peter was trying to say that Sirius was the secret keeper but he must have realised that as we had survived it was no use".

Lily said "He must have known that before as he will have heard it all at the Weasleys".

"You know how dithery he always was. Now he is worse" said James. He was rambling on and then he started on about the dark lord being so strong that the information was forced from him. Well no one had forced him to become a death eater and spy on all his friends".

"So what happened after that"? Lily asked.

"He was taken to prison and they said they would take precautions to stop him from transforming. They were also going to modify his cell so a rat could not get outside. He had also tried to get Sirius and me in trouble and started carrying on about us being unregistered anamagus as well but it was too late as we registered years ago. He was a bit annoyed about that".

Lily said "I am glad that is all sorted out. I have been really tired today and Vivian was kind enough to help out today as I needed to have a sleep".

James said "The stress of Harry and Walter going away and the trip into London yesterday and the situation with Peter would not have helped. You had better get an early night and get the house elves to call you only to nurse the babies".

Lily felt much better the next day and Judith took the children to school while she stayed home with the two sets of triplets. Brenda took over the babies while Lily spent time reading with the older ones and then left them with paints to entertain them for a while before they went outside to play. Remus then kept an eye on them while he was doing some paper work in a little office by the play area. He had recently gained a little work doing some accounting for a small magical business that only took a few hours a week. Lily managed to do some brewing which she loved so it made her forget about being tired. It also brought in a little money and that was handy with all those mouths to feed. She partly owned some muggle businesses and Remus helped with them. That was good too as it gave them muggle income which they needed for most of their food and clothing. It also paid rates and telephone and other muggle things.

Lily decided to contact her sister to see how she was getting on with her pregnancy. Petunia said she was huge and had trouble getting around and had needed to have some home help. Her son, Dudley had just gone to a boarding school called Smeltings so she just had Dahlia at home now and the eight year old was looking forward to the babies. Petunia said she was looking forward to them being out of her but not all the work that would then be required. Lily felt that she was lucky her babies were born and was much better today after a good sleep last night.


	12. Sorting Into Houses

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

This is mainly a list of all the students of their year so you know who is who. I have in put all the ones in the books who are definitely from the same year as Harry and added quite a few of my own.

**12**

**Sorting into Houses**

Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall put an old hat on a stool and it started to sing. It mentioned all the characteristics of the houses and Harry was hoping for Ravenclaw as he knew Walter would never be there although he could not see him getting into Gryffindor either. In fact the only house that sounded anything like one Walter would fit into was Slytherin. It was hard to imagine the reaction James would have at that.

McGonagall started calling the names in alphabetical order of family names. So everyone was placed as follows:

Abbott Hannah - Hufflepuff - She looked very nervous going up to be sorted first.

Bones Susan – Hufflepuff – Harry knew of her family as her uncle, wife and children had been killed by death eaters about a year before the Potters were attacked. She looked like a nice girl.

Boot Terry - Ravenclaw

Brocklehurst - Mandy - Ravenclaw

Brown Lavender - Gryffindor

Bulstrode Millicent – Slytherin – She did not look very pleasant at all.

Chee Leo Ravenclaw – This was good as Harry liked him and hoped to be friends. Leo looked happy and relieved.

Corner Michael - Ravenclaw

Crabbe Vincent - Slytherin – No surprises there. He was one of the cronies of the blond boy on the train.

Dalziell Emery Hufflepuff – That was good as Harry knew it was where he wanted to go. He looked pleased to have that sorted out as he went to sit down.

Davis Tracey - Slytherin

Emrys Florence - Slytherin – The first one like Walter sorted. She is from a Welsh family and has a sister in Ravenclaw 3rd year

Finch-Fletchley Justin – Hufflepuff

Finnigan Seamus - Gryffindor

Goldstein Anthony - Ravenclaw

Gough Sharleen - Ravenclaw

Goyle Gregory - Slytherin – No surprises there. He was the other crony of the blond boy.

Granger Hermione - Gryffindor – That is what she wanted but Harry wondered if the hat said anything about Ravenclaw. It was quite clear that some were having quite a conversation with it.

Greengrass Daphne - Slytherin

Hanley Simon – Gryffindor – That is good as it is where he wanted to go and Harry thought he should like it there.

Hanley Tamara – Gryffindor – The right place for her as well as her brother

Hopkins Wayne - Hufflepuff

Jones Megan - Hufflepuff

Layburn Tara – Slytherin – Another one like Walter.

Longbottom Neville – Gryffindor – That took a while but he got into the house he wanted. Harry felt he would be better in Hufflepuff but time would tell.

Lynch Georgina - Hufflepuff

Macmillan Ernie - Hufflepuff

McDougal Morag - Ravenclaw

Malfoy Draco - Slytherin – No surprises there. That was the blond boy on the train. He did go on about himself.

Nott Theodore - Slytherin

Papadopoulos Andrew – Hufflepuff – He looked quite a nice boy and Harry had not seen him before.

Patil Padma - Ravenclaw

Patil Parvati – Gryffindor – That was interesting. Identical twins are in different houses.

Parkinson Pansy - Slytherin

Perks Sally-Anne - Hufflepuff

Potter Harry – (Here we go). _'Well this is interesting. The boy who lived'!_ 'Please keep that quiet as I do not want people to know'. _'I always keep secrets, so where to put you. You are very loyal to almost all of your family and all your friends. You are brave but not very cunning and you are very intellectual'._ 'I don't want Slytherin or Gryffindor please'. _'Keeping away from your twin, not surprising considering your past with him. I think you will be best in RAVENCLAW'. _'Thanks so much'. Harry went over to the table and sat beside Leo Chee.

Potter Walter – Slytherin – It will be interesting to know what dad will think of that but it is not surprising. He just waddled over to sit with Florence and Tara and did not seem to react to his placement in any way.

Rakovich Eugene – Ravenclaw

Sharp Stewart - Hufflepuff

Sparkes Oscar - Slytherin – The last one like Walter – Has a sister in Hufflepuff 6th year. All Walter's group will be together. It will be interesting to see how they get on.

Tait Jared - Gryffindor

Thomas Dean - Gryffindor

Turpin Lisa - Ravenclaw

Weasley Ron – Gryffindor – He looked relieved as he had been getting quite stressed. He went to sit by Simon Hanley and his brother Percy went over to him.

Wilton Eleanor - Ravenclaw

Zabini Blaise - Slytherin

So that is all done and it has worked out at ten Gryffindor first years, eleven new Hufflepuffs, twelve Ravenclews and thirteen Slytherins. Everyone Harry knew was where they wanted to go so that was good and Harry hoped it was soon time to eat. He looked discreetly at the portrait while everyone was listening to Professor Dumbledore and it nodded that it had heard everything. So it was now time to eat and Harry was well ready for some food.

There was so much food. Harry did not know where to start at first but soon had a plate full and the food was as nice as it looked. After the first course had gone it was replaced with deserts and there were all sorts of tarts, ice cream, fruit and many other dishes. Harry chose some fruit as he had just finished a large main course and did not need much more. While the people at the table were talking he looked up at the head table and saw a young teacher with a purple turban and there was a sudden pain from his scar. That was the first time it had happened.

After they had eaten Professor Dumbledore spoke about places they were not allowed to go and one place was part of the third floor corridor. That was a little odd. After that everyone had to sing the school song and there was no set tune. People just sang any tune and it sounded dreadful. Then it was time to follow the prefects to their house common rooms. The Ravenclaws followed a girl called Penelope and she was very nice. On the way out Harry saw Emery and they waved to each other then the Hufflepuffs went down some stairs and the Ravenclaws turned and went up some. Then Harry saw Ron walking with Simon and they looked happy. There was a bump in Ron's pocket so the rat was still there. They both waved and Harry waved back and then Tamara and Hermione did as well. Then the different house groups went off in opposite directions.

After climbing many stairs Harry finally got to his common room by answering a riddle as a password at a portrait. The room had a lot of blue in it but he was too tired to take much notice and they made their way up stairs and went to find their beds. Harry found he was next to Leo so he was pleased and Leo seemed pleased as well. The other boys introduced themselves as Terry Boot, Michael Corner, Anthony Goldstein and Eugene Rakovich. They did not talk much but just got ready for bed as they were all tired and classes started the next day. Harry had a strange dream in the night but by morning he had forgotten all about it.


	13. First Few Days

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

**13**

**First Few Days**

Harry woke up early enough in the morning to write a quick note to his mother and he noticed the others were doing the same. They all went down to breakfast together and after a while the owls came in with the mail. Astra came in although she did not have a letter. Harry kept her there until Walter was down and went over to his table where he was with Oscar.

"Hi Walter, have you written a letter home as if you have I can send it with mine"?

Walter said "no" to Harry and then started talking to Oscar so Harry attached his letter to Astra and let her go.

He then went to see Emery and he was sitting with a boy who had light brown hair and glasses.

"Hi Emery, did you have a good night in Hufflepuff" said Harry.

"Yes, the beds are really comfortable and the common room is nice a cosy. I think I will like it there. This is Stewart Sharp"

"Hi Stewart, I will introduce you both to Leo when I get the chance".

"Hi Harry, how do you like Ravenclaw"? Stewart said.

"I love it up there or what I have seen of it, I was so tired last night but I feel better today and I agree that the beds are very comfortable". Harry answered.

They then chatted a little longer and he met the others at the table. Stewart's Scottish accent was so strong Harry could hardly understand him. Emery had lived in Scotland for two years before they moved to live near the Potters and his grandmother so he had no trouble although he was only five when he moved. Stewart seemed very nice and the others at the Hufflepuff table did as well.

Harry went back to his own table to finish his breakfast and they got their timetables.

"We have Herbology with the Slytherins first so I will be with my brother". Harry said to Leo.

"How was he when you went over to him"? Leo asked as Harry had explained the problem with Walter to him and he knew of other families with children who were similar.

"I asked if he had written home and he just said 'no' and started talking to Oscar". Harry answered.

"He sounds just like mum's friend's daughter and the rest of the family are not a bit like that. Dad said someone he knows through work has a child like that as well. There must be some reason why, I think they have some sort of illness and it is not their fault. It must be very hard on the rest of the family though" Leo said.

Harry, Leo and the others made their way over to the green house they were directed to by a Prefect. The lady who took the class was called Professor Sprout and was very nice. It was interesting to see different plants that Judith was not growing at home. She had just started the new garden but there were some things she would not be getting at all as they were no use to Lily for her potions and no use for the family to eat. Harry decided he would like this subject as he found it relaxing. He noticed that Walter, Oscar and the two girls were not with the other Slytherins. No one else would go near them.

At lunch time Harry saw Simon and Ron as soon as he went in to the great hall. Leo had gone to speak an older student who was a friend of his family.

"Harry, guess what happened last night". Ron said so loud that half the school would have heard him.

Harry went over to the Gryffindor table and pretended not to know. Ron was too excited to notice so he told Harry all about what happened when they got up to their dormitories last night.

"Percy and I were asked to go to Professor McGonagall's office and I wondered if something had happened to someone in the family but the twins were both OK and they were not asked to go. When we got to the office Dumbledore was there with someone from the ministry. They asked for my rat and it was in my pocket and when I got it out it went crazy and tried to get away. Dumbledore caught it and McGonagall had a cage ready and they made it bigger and stronger. Then two of them held out their wands and said something and the rat turned into a short fat man"!

Fortunately there was a lot of talk and others would not have heard what Ron was saying.

Harry realised it was the same as what had happened at home with the cat but he did not say anything about that.

"Wow! What did they do then"? Asked Harry

"They just told us to go to bed and they took him away. We have had him living in our house or here at the school for almost ten years. He must be a bit mental to want to spend time as a rat instead of a person".

Harry just nodded and Ron was obviously quite excited about it now.

"I got a quite a fright last night and Percy was a bit upset as he felt he should have known there was something odd about the rat living so long". He went on to say.

Simon had been sent a copy of the paper and they all had a look at it as Harry had not seen it.

Ron said "I am going to get another pet sometime but I am not sure when".

First year Ravenclaws had Charms in the afternoon and Harry loved the subject and the teacher. The little Professor Flitwick was their own head of house and he was a very good teacher.

This year a new class had started for the first years and it was a bit like studying English at a muggle school. Harry did not realise everyone would be doing it but they found some people's written work was not up to standard. Ravenclaw first years had the class after Charms and they all had a good standard but it was still useful. If anyone wanted to work towards an O level in English it would not be enough but it would help. There were words associated with the magical world they would be expected to be able to spell and they would revise grammar, punctuation and comprehension.

Harry found that those who were down to take English as a subject had work sent to them every two weeks and they were expected to do it in their own time and put it in a box at the end of the two weeks. The box was like a letter box that went into each head of house office. Most of the Ravenclaws decided to start doing the extra work and see how it went. There was a chance to pull out at the end of each term. Harry's other friends who he went to school with all decided to do it as well and Simon even persuaded Ron to do it and Percy was very pleased although the twins thought he was crazy. Of course Hermione was doing it as well as the other muggle subjects.

At dinner that night he had a chance to talk to Neville and was introduced to his new friend. His name was Jared Tait and he was a fairly average build with wavy light brown hair and hazel eyes.

"We have both decided to do the extra English for the time being to see how it goes". Jared said after Harry brought the extra subjects up.

"So four out of the six of us Gryffindor first year boys will be doing this class to start with and Hermione said she and Tamara will but not the other two" Neville added.

"Six out of ten is quite good" Harry said.

Lavender and Parvati had decided not to participate along with Dean and Seamus. One of the other classes being run was an art one and they were going to take all comers for the first term and then the ones who were good enough would be selected to continue. Neville said he, like Harry was not artistic but Jared said he was going to go with Dean as they both liked art.

When Harry went back to his common room he saw the notices about the classes and French was going to start the next day and Latin the day after. They were going to do the Maths and Science in the weekend as they would have to leave the castle and go to the other building that Harry had not seen yet. Harry did not know many who were going to do the Art, Maths or Science but many of the Ravenclews were going to do the languages. Leo had decided before he came that he would be taking the Maths and Science classes as he wanted to go to university. Harry was pleased to have someone else with the same ambitions as himself. It was interesting how encouraging people were about the non magical classes. Of course they would not be in competition with others for the best magical professions if they went to a muggle university.

The next morning Harry went down to breakfast early as he was going to meet Emery and have a talk with his best friend while Leo was writing to family members. They went for a walk outside and caught up with how things were going in their houses and then went in to meet Leo and Emery's friend, Stewart as they were all going to Potions together.

"I am glad I was put in Hufflepuff as the people are very friendly and Professor Sprout is very nice too. I like the idea of it being my home for seven years" said Emery.

"I like it in Ravenclaw too. In both of our houses it is easier to be friendly with other houses and I have to remain civil with the Slytherins and it would be harder if I was in Gryffindor".

"Did the hat say anything about putting you into Gryffindor? You were talking for a while". Emery asked.

"I did not give it a chance. I just asked not to go into Slytherin or Gryffindor as I did not know where it would put Walter but it was least likely to be one of the ones we are in".

"So you would not have minded Hufflepuff. Some people think we are a bit of a joke". Emery answered.

"I have never thought it a joke to be hard working and loyal. They are probably the nicest people in the school. We have quite a mixed bag but Leo is very nice. I think we had better go back now" said Harry.

When they came back inside Walter was being followed by a strange little man in the air who was throwing things at him and chanting "Potty Wally Potty Wally" over and over again and Walter was getting very annoyed.

Harry got out of the way quickly as he knew Walter would find a way of blaming him if he saw him. So Harry and Emery met up with Leo and Stewart and all went into Potions and sat together.

Professor Snape was the potions master and he asked Harry a lot of questions at the start of the class. Harry knew the answers to all of them and Snape almost seemed disappointed. After that the class went without incident until the end.

Just as they were about to go Snape said "Potter stay after class".

Harry stayed and Snape complained about having Walter in his house and Harry said there was nowhere else for him. When asked why he said that Walter was a wimp so could not be in Gryffindor. He was not loyal or hard working so could not be in Hufflepuff and was not intelligent enough to be in Ravenclaw so Slytherin was the only place left. Snape did not seem impressed but Harry pointed out that it was not his fault and Snape reluctantly agreed and let him go. He then had to rush and catch up to the others to go to defence. He was just in time and Leo had saved him a seat at the back where he had said he wanted to sit. Leo was also uneasy about Professor Quirrell and was more than happy to sit at the back.

The defence class was not very interesting and Harry had a head ache all the way through it. He decided it was a class he could do without as he did not feel he would learn very much with that professor.

At lunch time he managed to spend a little time outside and got rid of his headache.

It the afternoon they had History of Magic, which was not very interesting because of the way is was taught by a ghost, and then the rest of the afternoon off. French was in the early evening for most of the Ravenclaws and others then Astronomy late at night. Harry and Leo had a quiet afternoon doing homework and resting and the others in their house were doing the same.

French went very well and there were over thirty people who were taking it. Some had never done it before but others were quite advanced. They held a test that would divide the class in two so the next week the classes would be one after the other and they would be told which class they would be in. The teacher was a very nice witch who went to a magical school in Canada. About ten of the people in the class were second years and Harry did not know any of them except Robert Magan.

Astronomy was better than Harry had expected. He did not think he would be very interested in planets that were so far away but the professor made it interesting. It was a lovely clear night and it was very pleasant out there on the Astronomy tower but Harry realised it would be very cold in the winter. They got back to bed very late and their classes started later the next day but they had to be in the hall for breakfast by half past eight or they would miss out.

When Harry got down to breakfast Astra was waiting for him with a package and when he opened it he found it was several letters. There was one from his mother, a separate one from his father, one from Damon. Myra and Adele had both drawn him a picture. Harry quickly looked at the one from his mother and she was pleased he was in Ravenclaw as she felt it was the right place for him. She said the little ones were missing him and had cried the first morning he was away. There was more news about the family and the younger ones schooling. Harry decided to read the other letters later as he had to get to class and he was later at breakfast today. He fed Astra some bacon and stoked her and then she went out.

After breakfast Harry, Leo and the others in their house made their way up the first class for the morning. It was Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall and Harry found he really liked it. They had to turn a match stick into a needle and Harry did it on his first try. Leo had a few tries before he got it but some were floundering around all through the lesson and still did not do it. Harry did it a few times and then filled in his time reading the book quietly as he did not feel he could help the others. They would just need to practice.

Now they had been to all their compulsory classes once. Harry had Latin that night but they were going to Herbology again after lunch with the Slytherins. At lunch time Harry read the letter from his father. He said he was pleased that Harry was in Ravenclaw as it was the right place for him. He told him more about what happened with Peter and was still wondering how Harry could work out that an animal was really an anamagus but it was a good thing to keep quiet about. He also asked Harry to persuade Walter to write home as he had not had a letter from him.

Harry and Leo made their way to Herbology and when the Slytherins came in Harry went over to Walter. Walter was with the other three like him and the others from his house kept away from them. He gave Walter the message from their father and Walter said he might write sometime. Harry had done his best and he went back to Leo. He felt quite pleased that there were others like Walter as he would never fit in otherwise and at least he had a group to belong to.

Draco Malfoy came and said to Harry "Walter and his group are a pain and we have to share a dormitory with them. I don't know why we are stuck with them. There is something wrong with all of them and they should not be here".

Harry just said "I know what they are like but they are magical enough to get accepted so they are as entitled to be here as anyone else". Malfoy could say no more about it.

Herbology went well and he was learning quite a lot even after what Judith had been teaching him at home. He decided to send a message to her when he wrote home the next time.

Later that day they had their first Latin lesson and there were about twenty five people there. Half were first years and half second. They did the same as the day before with French and had a little test to find out if they needed two classes and who would be in each one. They had a wizard taking them and he went to the same school in Canada that the witch who took them for the French class.

On Saturday they had their first Maths and Science classes and they all wore muggle clothes and went to a room in the Castle that was always locked and a portrait was opened up and they made their way through to a room just like a muggle classroom. They had their maths class then they had a small snack and their science class followed. There were fifteen of them and they were all working at the same level. Harry knew quite a few of them including Leo, Emery, Hermione, Tamara, Simon and Stewart.

So they had sampled all of their classes and Harry liked the muggle classes along with Potions, Herbology, Charms and Transfiguration best. He found he was in the more advanced class for both French and Latin so he would find out who he was with on the nights. Now he had to get his homework done and write to his family.


	14. News from Home and School

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

Sorry it has been so long. I will try to post regular updates from now on.

**14**

**News from Home and School**

Harry and his friends were now settling into a routine at Hogwarts as they had been there a month. Walter had still not written home although Harry had handed him several letters from their parents. Harry was getting many letters and had to spend a lot of time replying to them all. Caroline Black had written to him a few times and even Sirius had written to him once. Harry wondered if Sirius now knew Harry was the_ boy who lived_ and he asked the portrait of his great grandfather and the answer came back that he had not been told.

Some very interesting information came in one morning from Lily. Part of the letter said:

_We are getting to the bottom of what is wrong with Walter and the others like him. A few months back a muggle born mother of one of the children took her son to a muggle hospital after he had a fall. An African Nurse there told her that the father had been cursed just before the child was conceived. Of course the other staff did not believe that sort of thing but the mother told the staff at St Mungo's and they contacted the head quarters of the African ministry of magic. They asked for samples and photos to be sent off to a hospital they have that specialises in curses and that was done and now we have the results. It is unusual that Walter was affected and you are perfectly normal so I looked into that as well. When you two were born we were at war as you know and times were very difficult so we wanted to get you both home as soon as possible. After the birth a healer told me that although Walter was a larger baby at birth he was less developed that you were. As you both appeared healthy I did not question it too much but when I heard about what the African Nurse had said I contacted the healer and the records say that Walter was conceived after you. They think it was about two weeks and this is very unusual but not unheard of. There is another set of twins who both have the condition but they are identical._

_The parents are all going to have a meeting and we are thinking about having a support group so we can help each other. It seems to be happening informally already but it will be good to have something in place. I will let you know what happens as you have been affected by this more that many of the siblings. The BWL nonsense has made things worse as we all know._

Harry showed this part of the letter to Leo and he said "My mother will be interested in this and I suppose her friend will tell her. Mum and Dad have been saying for ages that their friend's children had something definite wrong with them so I am glad they are getting to the bottom of it".

A few days later Harry received another letter from Lily and it had some information about the condition Walter and the others had. Some of the information they were given said things they already knew. These were that the children were all below average in intelligence even if the rest of their family was well above average. They were also difficult, uncooperative, demanding and selfish. Their magic was also not as strong as it would have been. It also explained the physical differences and that included their excess weight, scars not healing and fading eyes. There was also the expression they had on their faces. Harry was sure he would know one anywhere.

Part of another letter from Lily had more information:

_Other information given to us that would help their caregivers included: They do not mature properly physically and would never be able to have children. That includes both the boys and girls. As other young people reach puberty their growing slows and then they stop growing taller. These people continue to grow taller for longer and can finish up very much taller than normal people. After a time they lose much of their excess weight but are still larger than others in their families. They are better to be treated strictly rather than always getting their own way as they need structure. They are usually capable of doing a routine job after a basic education. They are happier with their own kind and tend to become more distant towards others but fortunately less hostile as well. Their lifespan is much shorter than average and as adults they are not strong and healthy despite their size. _

Harry felt it would have been much easier for everyone if they had known all this years ago and it was interesting that the information originally came from a muggle hospital. It would be good if St Mungo's Hospital had exchange healers from other cultures from time to time as they could learn from each other. All the twenty five children known in magical circles in this country who had this condition as a result of this curse were born in 1980 between April and November. Most of them were born in September and October. Harry wondered who did it and if it was just one person. Their handiwork had put all the families under a lot of stress, financial and otherwise. At least they know now that it would get easier to look after them and it was a good idea to keep them together. While they were in care they were together but not all families could afford to spend such a lot on one person. Harry felt quite relieved about knowing.

Harry had a few letters after the initial one from Lily. James wrote and apologised to him for not being there for him when he was younger and said things would change. Nana Rose wrote to him about it as well so Lily must have spoken to her about it. Remus discussed it quite a lot with Harry in his latest letter. Even Vivian, Judith and Brenda wrote. They were all relieved that they had an answer and told Harry that James had been spending much more time with all the family and seemed to be enjoying it.

A third year boy from Hufflepuff came up to Harry and spoke to him one day and he said "Hi Harry, my name is Cedric Diggory, I have a brother who has the same condition as Walter and his friends and he has nearly driven my mother crazy. My father had always been very strict with him and now they found he had done the right thing but my mother has always tried to be fair and realised there was something wrong with him although she had no idea what it was."

Harry told him, "Walter has been spoilt rotten by our father although our mother put her foot dawn."

Cedric said, "I have been told about that and also that you have been given a hard time by your father. My parents went to a meeting with other parents and met your parents and they were told then. Your father feels very bad about the way he has treated you. It must have been hard with the _boy who lived_ business as well. My brother will probably be at Hogwarts next year as his birthday is in September."

Harry had wondered if Emery had said something before Cedric told him how he found out all the information. Harry asked Cedric, "Have you any other brothers and sisters?"

Cedric said, "I have another brother and a little sister. Nolan is a few months younger than your brother Damon, so he will come here a year later. Annabelle is a few months older than your sister Myra, and they will come together. They all get on very well and my brother and sister have been round to your place."

Harry said, "I didn't know about that but in my last letter mum was in a hurry and mainly told me things I had asked about and said she would write again with more news."

Professor Snape spoke to Harry about Walter one night when he was just leaving the library. He said that he was aware that they were better off with structure and he was making sure they did all their homework. Snape said that Walter would not be given any special treatment as _the boy who lived_ in his house. Harry said he agreed that was a good idea and he was sick of _the boy who lived_ nonsense and had been for a long time. Harry had the impression that the professor quite liked him but felt uneasy about the way he looked into his eyes. He told his great grandfather's portrait that and he said he would discuss it with Lily.

Harry was getting so many pictures sent to him that his younger siblings had painted for him he asked Lily to send him a scrap book to put them in. She sent him two and the other boys in his dormitory were rather amused about it and loved looking at all the pictures. He decided that Adele was more artistic than he ever was as some of her pictures were quite good. The pictures from the four year olds were variable. Myra was no artist but did her best and was writing little notes to Harry now.

Harry had let the portrait know about the fact that whenever Professor Quirrell was near him he had a pain from his scar and he had never felt anything from it before. The portrait told Lily and she told Dumbledore. Dumbledore sent a message back via the portrait saying they were watching Quirrell as they had noticed there was a problem with him. Harry was told to keep out of his way and he already was.

One Saturday afternoon after his Maths and Science classes, Harry was notified that Walter was in the Hospital wing. He had been found under the stairs after a fall or being thrown down. Harry went down to see him and Walter was very vague about what had happened and spoke to Harry as if he was a stranger. Harry felt there was something odd about the situation and wondered if he had been pushed. Andrew Papadopoulos, a first year boy from Hufflepuff, told Harry that Professor Quirrell had been around at the time. Harry told Professor Flitwick and he said he would tell Professor Dumbledore.

Harry received some more news from home:

_New people have come to live in the house next to the one next door that we purchased. The father is called Philip Hoskins and the mother is Anita Hoskins. They have two children and the boy was about three and a half and the girl about one and a half. Bruno is quite exited as most of the children about his age in the neighbourhood are girls. There are some older children belonging to Anita from her previous marriage but they are__at school in France so we will see them in the holidays. Mrs Hoskins is a few years older than her husband and her first husband died over ten years ago._

_I have just had a phone call from Vernon Dursley and Petunia has gone into hospital and has to stay there on bed rest until the babies are born. They are due in a few weeks but they will come early and they are expected to all be healthy. _

A week later Lily wrote to Harry again.

_Petunia has given birth to a girl and two boys. They are doing well but two of them have to be assisted with their breathing for a few days. I would not be surprised if the little boy who is managing on his own is a wizard. They have called the children, Magnolia, Edgar and Shelton_. _Shelton is the one I think is a wizard. Vernon's sister has been around to help but she cannot stay for long as she has dogs to look after although she has help with them._

_Another bit of interesting news about Petunia's sister in law Marjorie, is that she going to have a baby as well. It was news to me that she was even married but Ben said she had married shortly before he came to live with us. Her baby is due in December so by then she will have been married about seventeen months. I always thought she would stay single as she struck me as a very masculine type of woman. She has married a relation of the person who helps with her dogs. The family name is Fubster but I have no idea what his first name is and Ben and Gardenia can't remember. _

One Sunday morning two third year Ravenclaw girls spoke to Harry in the common room. One said, "My name is Nadine and Florence Emrys is my sister."

The other one said, "My name is Julie and I have a brother with the same condition as Florence and your brother. He will probably be here at the school next year and his name is Ian. It is hard to have someone like that in the family isn't it?"

Harry agreed, "It is a relief to find out we are not the only ones as it was so hard with Walter wanting all the attention at home when there are many other children in the family who should be getting it."

Nadine told Harry, "Tara, the other girl at the school with the condition has a brother two years younger and he spent most of his childhood with his grandparents before Tara went into care. He is now very shy and timid and they were trying to help him."

Nadine said, "We have also spoken to a sixth year Hufflepuff and we are thinking of setting up a discussion group of siblings, would you be interested?"

Harry said, "Yes I would and there is another person. A third year Hufflepuff boy told me he has a brother coming next year who is the same and he may be interested as well."

Julie said, "We know about Cedric and as the parents are having a group we felt that the rest of the families needed someone to talk to as well."

The next day a very large Slytherin boy came and spoke to Harry.

He told Harry, "My name is Cyril Rigby. I have a brother who was in care with Walter sometimes when the family needed a break."

Harry asked, "Is he coming to Hogwarts next year?"

"No, my brother was born in May 1980 and would have come this year but did not have enough magic. It is a good thing as he is also very slow and no one has been able to teach him to read properly.

Harry told him, "Walter took ages to learn to read but he got there in the end. He found it hard but was also not very motivated."

The Slytherin said, "Many people had tried to teach my brother but he was much worse than the others and he could not learn. Another thing you may be interested in is that my brother has always been fascinated by snakes and got on very well with them."

When Harry said, "Walter tried to have pet snakes and he had three altogether but they all escaped."

Cyril said, "I know about that and my brother was where the interest came from. Walter saw Wayne with the snakes and wanted them too but snakes were not the right pet for him. I have seen him with his cat and they get on well. He is a nice cat."

Harry decided to let Lily know about the snakes as that is how they found out Harry could understand them. He had never tried to speak to them but Dumbledore said he would probably be able to.


	15. Halloween and Meeting

**Walter and Harry**

Anything you recognise belongs to J K Rowling.

Sorry it has been so long. I will try to post regular updates from now on.

**15**

**Halloween and Meeting**

It was near the end of October when there was an announcement after the evening meal one night. Professor Dumbledore told them that there would be a new set of exams starting from next year. They were to be taken in the fourth year and would only be in the seven compulsory subjects. The exams were called Elementary Certificate of Magical Achievement, ECMAs for short. There was quite a bit of buzzing around the room especially from the third years as they would have to sit these next year and there OWLs would be the year after. They thought they had another year before they had anything to worry about.

There was more information about them once everyone had settled down. Everyone would get a result sheet no matter what their results were but would only get the certificate if they passed all of the subjects. If they did not pass they would have to repeat the same material the next year and re sit as they would not be ready for their OWLs. This was obviously not very popular among some of the students but it was pointed out that the exams would be much easier than the OWLs and if people had trouble with achieving an OWL in a subject there would still be the opportunity to show they had learned enough to pass the earlier exam.

The ECMA certificate was likely to become the minimum entry requirement for any sort of magical position after they left Hogwarts. So everyone needed a rounded magical education before they started to specialise in whatever they were planning for a career.

From the third year students choose two or three new subjects in addition to the ones they take from year one and two. As these are options it was decided that they were not necessary to pass in these early level exams. The most important subjects were the compulsory ones and as there was a very low pass rate for some subjects like 'History of Magic' it would at least see that all students made some effort in all subjects no matter what they wanted to do after they graduated.

"I think this is a good idea" Harry said to Leo.

"So do I as people will get their material ready a year earlier and get themselves organised for the easier exams and the next year they will learn from their mistakes" Leo answered.

"Even the people like Walter may have a chance of passing something. They may have to stay back in fourth year for a second time but that would be better than going on to work that was beyond them." Harry continued as they made their way out of the Hall.

When they returned to their common room Professor Flitwick was talking to all the third years and Harry and Leo heard him say that the certificate was very easy and he would expect all Ravenclaws to pass with outstanding in each subject.

The next morning when they were on their way to breakfast a girl came running up to Harry.

"Hi Harry, I am Susan Bones, I just saw your brother being taken to the hospital wing."

"Thanks for letting me know, what happened and did he look very ill? I want to work out if I should go and see him before breakfast?" Harry answered.

"I didn't see his face but Professor Quirrell was there and looking very nervous. I think you should have your breakfast first or you may miss out." Susan answered.

"Thanks, I'll do that." Harry said and thought how helpful the Hufflepuffs were. It may be as they knew him through Emery.

"There is something odd about that Quirrell. He is always around when something happens to Walter." Harry said to Leo. He didn't say anything about the way he always gets the pain in his scar when Quirrell is near.

"He is odd and also not a very good teacher." Leo replied.

After breakfast Harry went to the hospital wing and saw Walter. He was sleeping and Madam Pomfrey said he seemed to have some sort of spell damage but he would be alright after some rest. He then had a talk to his great grandfather's portrait about what happened so the message would get home.

Harry went to potions and Leo was sitting with Emery and Stewart so he went to take his place with them. Snape looked up and Harry started to say something to him and he just nodded and pointed to the ingredients written on the board.

The next morning Walter was at breakfast with Oscar and the girls and looked normal.

It was now Halloween and everyone was looking forward to the party that night. At lunch time Tamara came up to Harry.

"Harry, Ron was really rude to Hermione in charms today and she won't come out of the girl's bathroom. She is in there crying."

"That is a problem with Ron. He can be very rude and has a lot of hang ups. It is a pity because he can be fun when he is not in one of his moods. Tell her not to take any notice of him as it is not worth it. She is much more mature than him."

"I have tried to talk to her but she is too upset at the moment so I will have to give her some time."

Tamara was at lunch on her own and Simon was talking to Ron and did not look very pleased. When they went to the feast that night Harry saw Hermione sitting with Tamara. They were nowhere near Ron and Simon and there were some larger older students between them. Harry felt that they were deliberately hiding but he was pleased that Hermione was there.

The feast had not been going very long when Professor Quirrell came in and said there was a troll in the basement. Everyone was told to go back to their common rooms with their prefects.

"That is a bit silly, why don't we just stay here?" Harry said to Leo.

"Yes that would be better but we had better go."

They started to follow the others in Ravenclaw out when Ron and Simon moved away from the other Gryffindor students. Harry beckoned them over.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Hermione is in the bathroom and she does not know about the troll so we are going to find her." Ron told Harry as he started to move away.

"She was in the feast but was at the other end of the table so you did not see her. I heard that you were rude to her Ron. You should be more reasonable and think before you open your mouth sometimes."

"You sound like my mother. OK I was not very nice and I am going to apologise."

"That's good we had all better catch up to the others as we don't want to run into the troll on our own."

Harry and Leo quickly caught up to the other Ravenclawas as Ron and Simon caught up to the Gryffindors. They finished their feast in their common room and found out in the morning the troll had been sorted out. Harry wondered about Quirrell though as every time anything strange happened he was about. Harry made sure he told the portrait all about what happened the next morning.

About two weeks into November Harry and the other siblings of the children with the curse decided to hold their first meeting. As Harry was the only first year and there were two third year Ravenclaws they decided to try to find a room near the Ravenclaw common room. Professor Flitwick found them a room and they had their first meeting on Friday 22 November 1991.

They decided to introduce themselves in alphabetical order of their family names:

The first one was Laura Beckett who said. "I am Laura Beckett and I am a Gryffindor in my 6th year. My brother William was born on 12 September 1980 when I was five and a half. I was looking forward to having a sibling but he was difficult right from the start. When I was ten and he was four and a half our younger brother Richard was born and William went crazy. Richard was born on 15 March 1985. We could not leave them alone for a minute as he would bite the baby. He was constantly attention seeking and did not learn to do the things one would expect. He expected to be treated like baby Richard was. That is just a start as you all have your stories to tell. He has done some accidental magic so he should be here next year."

The second one was Cedric Diggory who said. "I am Cedric Diggory and I am a Hufflepuff in my 3rd year. My brother Lester was born 9 September 1980 when I was nearly three. He was also a difficult baby and was very jealous of Nolan who was born just over two years later. He was even worse when Annabelle was born when he was four and a half. It was also unsafe for us to leave him alone with her and he also bit her but he did not bite either Nolan or me but he used to hit us. He also should be here next year."

The third one was Nadine Emrys who said. "I am Nadine Emrys and I am a Ravenclaw in my 3rd year. My sister Florence was born on 15 May 1980 when I was almost two. I can't remember her not being around but she was always difficult although she seemed to get a little quieter about the time she was almost eleven. She took ages to learn to read and when our five year old brother, Rhys was born on 16 June 1986 she didn't like it at all. Rhys is lovely and had never expected any more attention than a little boy his age needed. He knows to keep out of her way and mum says he is much happier now that she is here. I think it is a good thing to have them here as they are happier with each other."

The fourth one was Harry so he said. "I am Harry Potter and I am a Ravenclaw in my 1st year. My brother Walter and I were both born on 31 July 1980 and we have nine younger siblings." There were a few there who did not know that and they were rather startled.

"Walter was always difficult and the _boy who lived_ business did not help. Damon was born when we were under two and he learned very quickly to keep out of Walter's way. Damon and I became very close when we were little and we still are. Fortunately we have two other boys close to his age living at our place and he has them with him now. Walter never took part in any family events unless they were centred on him. He was generally taken away when we had parties for the little ones as he could not take singing happy birthday to one or two year olds even when he was over eight. He just managed it in the last few months before we came here but still had a funny look on his face. The last birthday party we had together was when we were one. After that it was all about Walter and the lady next door put something on for me at her place. She is the grandmother of my good friend Emery in Hufflepuff. That is all from me right now."

The fifth one was Julie Richardson who said. "I am Julie Richardson and I am a Ravenclaw in my 3rd year. My brother Ian was born on 2 October 1980 and is still very immature for his age. He should be coming next year and it is a good thing too as it will give mum, dad and my other brother a break. He has always been difficult and was also hard to control when our brother Glen came along on 8 December 1982. It is quite clear that these children are jealous of younger siblings as they take attention away from them. He is obviously a slow learner as they all are and we could accept that as it is not usually the child's fault but we used to get very upset at his antisocial behaviour. It is similar to what all of you have spoken about."

The sixth one was Cyril Rigby who said. "I am Cyril Rigby and I am a Slytherein in my 6th year. My brother Wayne was born on 21 May 1980 and did not have enough magic in him to come here. He is now in a special class at a muggle school. My mother was muggle born so she still has the connections to get him in there. I have an older sister who has finished school and works in a shop in Daigon Alley. I have been watching the four who are here this year and they are not as bad as my brother. I did not think it was any use sending them here but I have now changed my mind and I feel that they are learning and they are together."

The seventh one was Rosanna Sparks who said. "I am Rosanna Sparks and I am a Hufflepuff in my 6th year. My brother Oscar was born on 23 April 1980 and was one of the first of their kind born in this country so no one knew what was wrong with him. We have a sister of five and her name is Heather. Oscar was very difficult when she came along on 5 May 1986 and you will all know how hard it is to keep the little ones safe. He was in care for a while and it helped him as well as the rest of the family. As many of you know it was very expensive but at least they got to know each other and the ones who did not go there have had a harder time and so have their families. Oscar is very slow academically and will be struggling but I think it is doing him good to be here. We are going to have a new baby in January so that is another reason why it is better that Oscar is here. Heather is much happier at home now as well and is looking forward to the new baby."

So that was all the introductions out of the way.

"Well we all have a similar story and I am glad Hogwarts will take them as I think it will be good for my brother to come and be with others like himself. It will also be nice for mum, dad, Nolan and Annabelle to have some time at home without the stress Lester causes." Cedric said.

Cyril said, "I wish my brother, Wayne could come but it really would be a waste of time as he can't even read properly. My parents have been to some of the meetings and found out a few things and one is very interesting. You have probably all noticed that every little bump they have leaves a mark. As they get older their blood gets very thin and they bleed very easily. They have just been told that the blood replenishing potion will not work for them. I just got the letter today."

"I didn't know that." Harry said. "I know they scar very easily and it does not go away. Walter's eyes got very pale shortly before he turned eleven and I noticed the others who come here are the same. When do they have the trouble with the thin blood?"

"Usually it starts between the ages of thirteen and sixteen and they have it for life." Cyril answered.

"I also did not know about that." Julie said and all the others said they also did not but they had not had a letter in the last two days and their parents had just had the meeting.

"Oscar's eyes went pale shortly before he turned eleven and it happened very suddenly. I have noticed since he has come here he is eating more healthy food. For the last few years he has just wanted sweets and cakes and would not eat his meat and vegetables. All of them are looking better and do not look so fat although they are still big." Rosanna pointed and they all agreed.

"I will have to ask about William. He was still eating badly when I left and was a very unhealthy weight. His eyes also went pale over the summer." Laura remarked.

"It is interesting that all of the people here except me have brothers but there are about equal numbers of boys and girls with the condition." Nadine said. "Tara Layburn has a younger brother and he will be here in two years as he was born in July 1982. He has had a hard time so it is good that he is having a break from Tara. His name is Philip."

"What do they do about the bleeding?" Harry asked.

"They have to be very careful to stop the flow as soon as possible and if they lose too much they have to have a transfusion like muggles. This means they have to match the blood groups so it is a good idea to know their blood group and also their families. If they have transfusions from a family member with the same blood group they are a lot better for a few weeks but then they go back to the way they always are. Other people must not take blood from them or they will get the same condition." Cyril said.

"That is scary." Julie said. "How long does it take before that happens?"

"I don't know that yet but after our parents have a few meetings we will find out more." Cyril answered.

They talked for a while about how their families had been changed and how things would have been if this had not happened and then it was getting late and Professor Snape came in.

"It is getting near curfew for the younger ones so I think you had better close your meeting now."

So they all packed up and made their ways to their house common rooms. The Ravenclaws did not have far to go.


End file.
